


Sex, Lies, and Guns

by Remmy-Free (Remembrance)



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Smut, Humor, I Don't Even Know, Light Angst, M/M, Mostly humor, Sorry Not Sorry, Still not sorry, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-12-31
Packaged: 2017-12-27 22:14:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 100,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remembrance/pseuds/Remmy-Free
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nagisa leads an organisation called 'Iwatobi', named after his favourite animal, the penguin. It is just a small-time group dealing with robberies, kidnappings, murders, torturing, sabotages, extortion, gambling, drugs, and prostitution. His next target so happens to be Makoto Tachibana, a fun loving nineteen year old who can help them in more ways than they know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know, this is just something silly I started and now I really want to continue. I dedicate this prologue to 'ThBlackFlame' who helped me come up with the title!
> 
>  _Edit:_ Hey~ So I noticed as I got back into Free! writing, a lot of people are going to this fic. I wrote this quite a while ago... and I think it shows. I actually really like it, even though at times it feels rushed. I just want to say, it's not the best thing I've ever written, so lower your standards, but I also think it's a pretty fun fic too. I hope you enjoy reading or rereading it.

Every big-time society had them. Whether it was the Cosa Nostra in Italy, Triads in China, or Milieu in France, everybody knew what they were: A bloody and ruthless organised-crime enterprise. The collective term for them was usually 'Mafia', but Nagisa decided he just didn't like that word. He named their group "Iwatobi", which meant penguin. When Rin told him that name was stupid, Nagisa just put a gun in his mouth and giggled as he teasingly voiced his opinion on how easy it was to pull the trigger.  
  
Compared to the greater ones, though, they were small.  
  
It wouldn’t make sense to try to have a big crime organisation when the Yakuza already operated in Japan. In fact, the most likely reason as to why they weren’t crushed by the bigger guys was because the Yakuza didn’t have the resources to waste controlling agricultural territory.  
  
Of Japan’s forty-seven prefectures (subnational jurisdictions, similar to provinces or states), Nagisa was born in Tottori, which ranked forty-seventh in terms of populations. It was known for its sand dunes and Nagisa believed the ‘boringness’ of his hometown was why he picked up a gun and shot someone when he was thirteen.  
  
It was out of boredom that Iwatobi began.  
  
However, as Nagisa expected, the Yakuza eventually started talking to them.  
  
Every big organization stayed big by crushing any small ones climbing the ladder.  
  
Somehow, though, Iwatobi got on the their good side. Because the Yakuza had little power in the region, they occasionally asked Iwatobi to take care of small jobs for them. It usually dealt with crop sabotage, extortions, and what the greater company would see as ‘small stuff’. Iwatobi completed them all with excellence and always gave a detailed report on anything the Yakuza should be aware of. In exchange, the Yakuza hooked them up with illegal merchants.  
  
This was just another way for them to have an eye on Iwatobi’s inventory.  
  
Nagisa was sure that the Yakuza saw their ‘little penguin club’ as occasionally useful, and would only keep them around if it looked like they could do what needed to be done when it needed to be done. Any less and they were goners.  
  
It was unlike the Yakuza to let other organisations be, but Iwatobi held no threat. Iwatobi only had nine agents at the moment, with a highest record thirteen before some traitors were dealt with.  
  
Of their nine agents, only four were senior members.  
  
Rin Matsuoka made himself known for his ‘ballsiness’. He was always fine with charging someone, breaking in, doing whatever the job was without asking why. Every single one of the junior members feared him, and more for his nickname, ‘Shark’. He had strangely sharp teeth, which Nagisa loved to be bitten with. The reason the junior members feared him was because he’d never kill anyone who talked down to him, but he’d torture them slowly, until they begged for forgiveness.  
  
There was Rei Ryugazaki, the brains and tactician of the group. Smart, intelligent, handsome, and not to mention how easily he was made flustered, Nagisa had said Rei was his favourite. He was a hard worker, always doing what was asked of him and going above and beyond. He had an endless personal need for excellence in everything he did. He also hated wasting bullets, since that was failure (and therefore, not beautiful), and trained to have the best accuracy with guns.  
  
The third senior member was the newest, Haruka Nanase. Definitely an odd member, he was mostly silent for the majority of most meetings, unless swimming became a topic. Nobody knew how swimming or water was related to murder or crime, but without fail Haruka brought it up every fifteen minutes anyway. He also had a thing for dolphins, which earned him his nickname: Dolphin. As Rin noted, he was a lot like a dolphin since he liked sex, quite a bit.  
  
The fourth and final senior member, was, of course, Nagisa Hazuki. He was the one who put the organisation together, but nobody knew too much else about him. His first murder was at thirteen and when he managed to get away with it, he decided to do it again. Then, again. Some members believed he just got off on the adrenaline rush, which wasn’t far from the truth. He loved the fact that he could die at any moment, making his life meaningful to ‘live in the present’. Contrary to another thought about him, he wasn’t half as rational as people thought, nor did he think things through.  
  
Robberies, kidnappings, murder, torture, sabotage, extortion, gambling, drugs, prostitution.  
  
Nagisa decided one day that he wanted to be involved with all of those.  
  
So, he created Iwatobi.  
  
They were good at what they did, but they had no plans to be any bigger than they were. A dozen operatives were more than enough for a rural area. Plus, Nagisa didn’t like big groups. It was harder to know every single member. He wanted them to know his appearance; since, being at his height and with his face, it made him appear to be just a kid. He’d remind them all how often kids had tantrums, and what’d he’d do with a gun if he had one.  
  
In truth, Nagisa was actually eighteen, but he didn’t look it.  
  
It was with a spark that a small fire shot out of the cylinder.  
  
Rin moved his red hair out of his eyes and brought the lighter in his hands to the cigarette in his mouth. With a small suck, the tip of the cigarette turned red hot and he closed the lighter, stuffing it in his pocket. Pulling the cig out of his mouth, he looked up and blew out a hot cloud of grey smoke into the air. "Ah, nothing like a _fag_ after a _hard_ day of work, right Haru?"  
  
Haruka blinked twice as he looked at the cloud of smoke. It was far away, but he waved his hand in front of his face. “You shouldn’t be smoking in here.”  
  
Rin groaned, “Not this again.” He leaned back on the sofa and put his feet up on the table between them. They were in the lounge of the senior members and he couldn’t give a shit if the dirt from his boots were going to get on the glass table. “Ah, fuck you. I can smoke all I want, and I need one right now. What’s your problem, anyway?”  
  
Haruka’s expression stayed expressionless. “I told you before: I want to be an Olympic swimmer. Second hand smoke is bad for my lungs.”  
  
“Swimming,” Rin rolled his eyes, “Somehow always comes back to that… But, seriously, that’s it?”  
  
“Yeah,” Haruka nodded, “Oh, and I don’t want to go home smelling like smoke. My mom will get angry.”  
  
Rei was busying himself on his laptop, entering data into a spreadsheet. He raised his head from his screen and blinked, “Your mom?”  
  
Haruka nodded simply.  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow. He sucked in another cloud of smoke before he blew it to the side (since blowing it at Haruka would hinder his chances of getting laid). “How old are you anyway?”  
  
“Seventeen.”  
  
Rin blinked, “You’re shitting me.”  
  
“No.”  
  
Rin sighed, shrugging. “What the fuck is up with this town, making a bunch of crazy kids… Hey, Rei,” he called out, “Hear that? Our best sniper is only seventeen.”  
  
Rei looked up from his screen and shrugged, “Yeah, and our boss is only a year older. A town full of crazy kids,” he muttered before focusing on his laptop. “So, Haruka, do you work with us and then go home to your parents and pretend you’re a normal kid?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Rin shrugged and repositioned himself on the sofa. “So, Rei, you a kid too?”  
  
“No,” Rei clattered his fingers against the keyboard, “Twenty-four.”  
  
“Oh,” Rin nodded, “I’m twenty-five if anyone cares.” With no response, he grumbled and looked at Haruka. Seventeen. He grumbled again and suddenly felt old, by comparison. “Wait,” he sat up on his feet, bringing his feet down. “You’re telling me I’ve been fucking a kid eight years younger than me all this time? Shit, that’s kinda… well it’s weird, but it’s also kind of hot.”  
  
Haruka just blinked, expressionless as usual.  
  
Rei continued to do whatever work he was working on.  
  
Rin groaned and flung his head back, “Ugh.” He closed his eyes and tapped his cigarette, letting the burning ash fall to the floor. Clasping his hands over his eyes, he sighed. “Haruka, you’re boring when you’re not being fucked. You too, Rei… well, you’ve never let me tap your ass, so you could be boring then too. You’re both boring. Boring, boring, boring.”  
  
"But am _I_ boring?"  
  
Rin’s eyes snapped open and he moved his hand away, instantly looking into deep pink eyes that were far too close; he screamed and wildly flailed his arms, throwing the cigarette onto the table in the process. Out of instinct, he grabbed his gun and pointed it to the face in front of his.  
  
The blond reacted even quicker, snatching Rin’s wrists.  
  
Suddenly feeling a strong grip on his wrist, the next thing Rin realised was that he had a gun in his mouth, and that his own finger was around the trigger.  
  
“Nice one,” Haruka said with a nod of approval.  
  
Rei nodded as well, appreciating the beauty of it. “Excellent as always, Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa let go of Rin’s hand and chuckled, “Stop! Stop, you’re going to make me blush!”  
  
Rin slowly removed the gun from his mouth and placed it on the table. “Shit,” he pursed his lips and snatched the cigarette. “You scared me… didn’t even hear you come in.”  
  
Haruka’s lips curved into a subtle smile, “Some kind of shark you are.”  
  
“Hey!”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and twirled in a happy circle before he dropped himself on Rin’s lap.  
  
The redhead instantly slipped an arm around Nagisa’s waist and pulled him in close.  
  
“We got a new job,” Nagisa batted his eyelashes, “And I need our best on it. It’s important.”  
  
Rei didn’t look up from the screen. “Yakuza?”  
  
“Yep,” Nagisa nodded.  
  
Rin grinned, pushing the cigarette in his mouth and sucked in, trying to use the smoke to erase the metallic, coppery taste of the gun. Blowing out a cloud of smoke, he kissed Nagisa’s neck. “Anything for you, babe.”  
  
Nagisa turned his head and giggled before turning his head to Haruka.  
  
“Sure,” Haruka shrugged.  
  
“Not me,” Rei sighed, “Have to finish this.”  
  
“Rei-chan!” Nagisa pouted, “Don’t you want to help me make my evil plans?”  
  
Rei sighed and he looked at his screen, examining the numbers. “Well… I guess if I can finish our ammunition inventory tonight… could put in the order tomorrow afternoon. But, I’ll probably have to stay in overtime.”  
  
Nagisa slipped out of Rin’s lap, much to the redhead’s dismay, and skipped across the room as if he wasn’t someone who’d killed more people than he could remember. He placed his hands softly on Rei’s knees, moving somewhat to his inner-thighs. Nuzzling Rei’s cheek, Nagisa smiled. "You'll be paid accordingly, Rei-chan. In both money, and... you know, a little _something else_."  
  
When it came to senior members, sex and affection was how Nagisa controlled them. He’d spend one night with Rin here, one with Rei there… Nagisa would let them play out their desires, let them fuck the ‘untouchable’ boss they worked under. Their loyalty was locked in, and so was a minor addiction. Nagisa played along with any fantasy they had, and eventually after getting comfortable enough they would bring out the sick, wrong ones that they didn’t want anyone else to know.  
  
And the fantasies would progressively become sicker and even more twisted, to the point where it became sex that they _knew_ no one besides Nagisa would let them have.  
  
Haruka and Rin were easier to control, but Rei was tough. Rei had just as much of a primal desire for sex, but his mature view on life and sophisticated attitude made it harder for Nagisa to spin his web...  
  
Rei paused, but nodded. "That could work."  
  
"Good," Nagisa grinned and closed his eyes before he pushed their lips together for a moment.  
  
...but, eventually, Rei did turn around, succumbing to desire.  
  
Nagisa pulled away and his dark pink eyes turned to the table. Rin was giving him a look that made his desire obvious, and Nagisa knew he’d have to sate that soon enough. “Okay,” he clapped his hands together, “I’m sure some of you know, but we are going to have an election for the next mayor in a couple months. One of the guys who want to run is Yamato Tachibana. He’s the dork-looking guy who’s big into police enforcement and wants to have a tighter hold on illegal activity.”  
  
Rei was already taking notes on his laptop.  
  
Haruka listened silently, not seeming interested or disinterested.  
  
Rin bit his lip, “So, we’re gonna kill the fucker?”  
  
“Nope!” Nagisa grinned, “It’s going to be a kidnapping. His nephew is going to be staying with him for a couple weeks. We’re going to have to go in, kidnap the nephew and give death threats if he tries to put his name on the ballot.”  
  
“Sounds simple,” Haruka muttered. “Does he have a lot of bodyguards?”  
  
“Apparently,” Nagisa shrugged. “They’re paying big money for this, and we do kind of need to do this for ourselves. We can’t have him having a tighter hold on us, now can we?”  
  
“Tachibana…” Rei muttered, “I know him; he’s on the news a lot. He lives alone and has a large property. He’s had several instances of attempted theft, break ins, property defacement, etcetera. Mostly from petty teenages, but we can expect he’s put up cameras and has security guards.”  
  
Rin nodded, grinning ferally. “Lots of bodyguards means lots of people to kill. This’ll be fun.”  
  
“It will,” Nagisa smiled, “So I’ll get some of the junior guys to gather more data and we can shell out a plan. Just, remember,” he put one finger up, “This is from the Yakuza: It has to be executed perfectly. Any one of you fuck up, and I’ll shoot you myself, no matter how big your dick is,” Nagisa chuckled, “Okay?”


	2. Part 1: Preliminary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to thank everyone for all the nice comments and feedback you've all given me! I admit, I am somewhat struggling to keep them in character while still having them in their new roles, and it's caused me to rewrite this chapter twice now. If any of you want to leave feedback on how I'm doing, I would really appreciate it. <3
> 
> I know this is mostly just a silly fic, but I still want to make it as best as it can be for my lovely readers!

A grunt, filled with lust.  
  
“Oh, ah, Rei-chan!”  
  
“Ngh…”  
  
“Mmmm,” Nagisa moaned as his legs wrapped tighter around Rei’s waist. He felt his body tighten and he squished his eyes closed. His cock, squeezed between their two stomachs, shot out the white, sticky fluid and he clenched around the manhood buried inside him.  
  
Rei silenced a moan by pushing his mouth against Nagisa’s neck. Hands squeezing on Nagisa’s outer thigh, he felt the blond’s ass squeeze on his cock and his whole body shivered as he came.  
  
Nagisa smiled, closing his eyes as he nuzzled Rei’s cheek. His breathing was heavy and full of pants, but he swallowed hard and grinned nonetheless.  
  
Struggling to catch his breath, Rei opened his eyes and slowly pulled away. He pulled a kleenex from the tissue box and cleaned up his chest, before tossing it into the garbage. He grabbed his glasses, putting them on his face, before pulling up his pants and redoing his belt.  
  
Nagisa chuckled, watching the change: Rei would always pretend nothing happened right after sex, as if he was internally struggling to put up the sophisticated view he had.  
  
Rei buttoned up his shirt and sighed. “I need my desk to work, Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa slipped off the desk and grabbed a tissue as well, cleaning himself off. Unlike Rei, who only moved his clothes to the point where they wouldn’t get in the way, Nagisa was completely naked and felt no shame for it. Slowly, he picked off his undies and slipped them on.  
  
With a click, the door opened.  
  
Nagisa didn’t care that he was still mostly nude; he just grabbed his pants and pulled them on.  
  
“Damn, I missed the fun,” Rin threw his hands in the air as he stepped into the lounge. He crashed on one of the sofas. He took the time to look at the rest of his boss’ body with a little smirk.  
  
Nagisa felt the eyes on him, but didn’t care. Reacting was generally not the way to go anyway. He finished clothing himself and slowly made his way to the couch. Sitting next to Rin, he nuzzled under the man's chin.  
  
Rin grinned, placing a hand in Nagisa's soft blond hair and tussling it a bit.  
  
"Hey!" Nagisa pouted, moving his head away.  
  
Rin just snickered and looked at Rei, "So we're gonna focus on this new job tonight?"  
  
Rei looked up from his computer and over to Nagisa before adjusting his glasses, "Boss' decision, of course."  
  
Rin looked at Nagisa.  
  
Nagisa nodded and gave the cutest smile he could muster. "I sent our juniors to gather data last night and this morning, should be here any minute."  
  
Rin bit his lip, "But they're kinda useless..."  
  
"Kou's on the job," Rei pointed out.  
  
"Oh, then it'll be damn good data!"  
  
Nagisa chuckled. "For your sister's sake it better be, right?"  
  
Rin tensed, pursing his lips tightly together.  
  
Nagisa kept smiling, knowing he was on a sensitive spot. "If she doesn't do her job, I get to put a bullet in her head!"  
  
Rei looked up from his computer and a teasing smile formed on his lips. Nagisa talking about killing Kou right in front of Rin, beautiful. More of a dramatic or horrible beautiful, which wasn't Rei's cup of tea, but he could still appreciate it nonetheless.  
  
Rin gave a slow nod; he was about to answer, when...  
  
Someone knocked on the door twice.  
  
Nagisa looked away from Rin and to the door, "Come in."  
  
The door opened and out stepped a grey haired teenager, about the same height as Nagisa. He seemed tense as he had a larger yellow envelope in his hand. "H-hello, Sir. I'm here to deliver the data we've gathered so far."  
  
Rei leaned back in his chair, "What can you tell us about it? What should we expect?"  
  
The teenager seemed to stiffen, as if not expecting to do anything besides deliver. "Well, um, it's decent data."  
  
Rin's eyes narrowed, "Decent?" he almost spat out.  
  
The grey haired male felt a shiver run down his spine. "Th-There's a-a l-lot of data you can use, b-but it was only our f-first day collecting d-d-data s-so, it's rather, um... preliminary?—If that, makes sense?"  
  
Nagisa stood up from his seat, dusting off his dust-less pants and crossed the floor. He offered a silly smile and saw the terror in the grey haired, blue eyed boy. He took the envelope out of the junior agent's hand and looked at it. He flipped it over, as if expecting something to be on the back, then flipped it once more. "Hmmm, okay."  
  
Rin's eyes were still narrowed as he stood up. "Wait a second," he crossed the floor as well and put his face right in front of the junior agent's. "You look... familiar. I've seen your face before."  
  
Rei sighed, "He works here."  
  
Rin shook his head, red eyes never leaving blue. "No, no I've seen him before, like... Wait, you're not a spy are you?" After a small silence he grabbed the agent's shirt and lifted him off the ground, ignoring the surprised yelp. "Hey! Answer me: Are you a spy?"  
  
"N-no!"  
  
"I don't trust you!"  
  
"I'm not a spy!"  
  
"Prove it!"  
  
"I-I'm not a spy!"  
  
"He's not a spy."  
  
Rin's red eyes moved to the side and blinked, "Coffee?" His fingers let go of the junior's shirt as he stared.  
  
Haruka stepped into the lounge carrying a small cardboard tray made to hold take-out coffee. Of the three coffees, he pulled out the smallest cup and offered it to the junior. "Small coffee with a vanilla shot. That's what you like, right Nitori?"  
  
"Y-yes, Nanase-san."  
  
"You can call me 'Haruka'," the teen mumbled it as if it was something he had repeated many times before. He walked past Nitori and Rin, then handed a bigger cup to Nagisa. "Extra-large hot chocolate with an espresso shot, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. Sorry, the cap kind of squishes the whipped cream."  
  
Nagisa took it and instantly smooched Haruka's cheek, "That's fine, Haru-chan."  
  
Nitori sighed out of relief, but as soon as he turned his head he realised Rin was still glaring at him. He froze and his chest tightened.  
  
"But," Rin growled, "I know you. Like, I _know_ you! Tell me why, you little shit!"  
  
Nitori opened his mouth and tried to speak, but his voice was caught in his throat. He'd heard every rumour there was about ' _Shark_ ', and his eyes suddenly looked down to Rin's mouth. With the proximity, he could see a detailed view of Rin's teeth and a subtle sound left his throat. "Wow, they really are sharp like a shark's..."  
  
Rin blinked, "What?"  
  
Without thinking, Nitori moved: He pushed his lips against Rin's and closed his eyes.  
  
The kiss was soft and welcoming, and Rin closed his eyes at first. He kissed back, but red eyes eventually widened. He looked left, then right, blinking several times along the way.  
  
Nitori instantly pulled away and put a hand over his mouth. "I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't mean to!"  
  
Rin leaned back and raised an eyebrow. He turned to the other three, "What just happened?"  
  
Nagisa giggled as he sipped his drink, "He's got the hots for you. Can't blame him, you _are_ sexy when you're angry."  
  
“Uh, thanks…” Rin scratched the back of his head.  
  
Nitori sipped his coffee, ignoring the fact that his cheeks felt like an inferno.  
  
“Beautiful,” Rei whispered.  
  
“I still think he’s a spy,” Rin mumbled, crossed his arms and looking away.  
  
“He isn’t,” Rei corrected, “Aiichiro Nitori, ranked number ninth in Iwatobi. You were the one who brought him in, which is why you probably find him more familiar than the others.”  
  
Rin blinked and pointed at himself, “Me?”  
  
“Somewhat,” Haruka spoke up after swallowing a gulp. “Remember Lady White? The woman who owned that brothel? The one you shot in the head?”  
  
“Oh!” Rin nodded as it clicked, “Right she had a kid that you wanted to take with us…” His red eyes looked at Nitori and he nodded slowly, “Right… so I shot your mom.”  
  
“Yeah,” Aiichiro didn’t seem to mind as he sipped his coffee. “You, uh, you wanted to shoot me too but Nanase-san stopped you. That’s when you said if I come with you, I’m his responsibility.”  
  
“Right,” Rin continued to nod, not sure of what else he could say at that point. “Well, I hope you’re useful.”  
  
Haruka smiled softly, “He’s a good shot, got a natural ability for snipers. He’s also a good swimmer.”  
  
Nagisa laughed and took a seat on Rei’s desk, ignoring the look the blue haired man was giving him. “Well, if that’s all you’re here for, you’re free to go.”  
  
Nitori nodded twice before practically running away from the room.  
  
“Good kid,” Haruka muttered.  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, “You call him kid, but he doesn’t look much younger than you.”  
  
Rei nodded, “Just a year younger. Eight months, to be exact.”  
  
Rin put his hands behind his head and walked over to the couch. “Well, shit, got a bunch of youngins having the hots for me.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled, “You seemed pretty into that kiss, Rin-chan!”  
  
“I was not!”  
  
“Was too!”  
  
“Was not!”  
  
“Was too!”  
  
“Was not!”  
  
“Was not!”  
  
“Was too!” Rin shouted—“Agh, shit, fuck you!”  
  
Nagisa grinned in victory before looking at the larger yellow envelope in his hand. He started to open it with one hand up as sipped his drink and walked over to the table at the center.  
  
Haruka took a seat as well.  
  
Rei unplugged the charger and mouse from his laptop before lifting it. He made his way to the table to join the rest.  
  
“So,” Nagisa took out the pieces of paper and handed them around, “Looks like a lot of info.”  
  
Rin silently sighed out of relief. “Kou was on the job, of course it was.”  
  
Rei grabbed a piece of paper and examined it. “Interesting, they’ve found the houses’ original blueprints as well as a list of renovations over the past twenty years and the current layout.”  
  
Nagisa sat back in his seat. “But, Rei-chan, how is that useful?”  
  
“Many ways,” Rei explained as he adjusted his glasses, “Renovations translate to a constant upkeep, meaning we can assume he’s taking good care of his house as well as the fact that he has the money to do so. This means many things, but for us the most important is security cameras, as I mentioned yesterday.”  
  
Haruka picked up a piece of paper and stared at it with his expressionless expression. “Info on our target.”  
  
Nagisa looked up, “Is he cute?”  
  
“Yes,” Haruka nodded, “He’s your type, Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa grinned, “Yay! What does it say about him?”  
  
“He’s tall,” Haruka looked at the profile, “Uh, brown hair with an ‘olive tint’, whatever that means. He’s got really good muscles… guessing Kou wrote that.”  
  
Nagisa leaned over and glanced at the piece of paper, “Holy shit!” His dark pink eyes widened and he clasped his hands on his knees, “His name is Makoto Tachibana! He’s just like us: A boy with a girl’s name!”  
  
Rin rolled his eyes, “Nagisa that doesn’t mean anyth—ah!”  
  
Nagisa pulled out his gun and the crack of a gunshot roared through the room.  
  
Rin felt the bullet whiz by his face and he froze. At such close range, he was sure that bullet missed on purpose. He swallowed hard, looking between the barrel of Nagisa’s gun, now pointed at him, and the boss who glaring at him.  
  
“He’s a swimmer,” Haruka whispered as he stared at the picture, “Maybe he and I should get married.”  
  
Nagisa moved his hand away and flicked on the safety for his gun, before shoving it in his pocket. “I’ll be the maid of honour!”  
  
Rei was about to answer, but someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”  
  
Nitori opened the door and looked inside. “Ah, w-we just heard a gunshot, just wondering if everyone’s okay? D-Do we need to call the ambulance or something?”  
  
“I almost shot your boyfriend,” Nagisa explained, “But he’s not dead yet. Everything’s fine!”  
  
Nitori nodded with a faint blush and closed the door.  
  
Rin frowned and crossed his arms. “We’re not boyfriends.”  
  
Nagisa grinned and giggled, “I’m the one who decides that.”  
  
Haruka looked between the two and shrugged. “What do you think the best way to do this is, Rei?”  
  
Rei scratched the bridge of his nose as he looked between two or three pages. “Renovations haven’t been done in the north-side garage for some time, and it’s reported that they installed windows because they couldn’t get electricity in there for lights. That’s probably the safest place to send in an operative. They would know that though—have that spot well defended. If we could get a distraction, one operative could go in and get the job done. A possible sniper for backup,” he said as he looked at Haruka and gave a little nod, “Then maybe an operative or two to clear an exit by the south-side of the house.”  
  
“Simple enough,” Rin was rather happy the topic changed and nodded. “Send me in, I’ll get shit done and kill anyone off.”  
  
Nagisa crossed his legs, shaking his head. “No… this guy, Yamato Tachibana, is running for mayor with a politically charged campaign against illegal groups. If we kill anyone, we give him all the evidence we need to for someone else to win his case.”  
  
Haruka shook his head, “But we can’t expect to get through this _that_ cleanly.”  
  
Rei nodded. “It would be beautiful, but unlikely.”  
  
Nagisa bit his lower lip before nodding. “You’re right, but we should do our best to limit how many people we kill.”  
  
Rin nodded, “Fair ‘nough.”  
  
“Hmm,” Rei looked at the blueprints and tilted his head. “For the distraction… anyone have any ideas?”  
  
“Oh!” Nagisa clapped his hands together and looked at Haruka.  
  
“No!” Rin groaned, “Not that—anything but that!”  
  
Rei snickered.  
  
Nagisa giggled.  
  
Haruka’s lips curved into a little smirk. “You thought it was hilarious, before I used it on you.”  
  
“Best April Fools, ever!” Nagisa cackled.  
  
Rin clasped his hands over his face. “Half-a-fucking-hour I was trapped in that room with you doing that.”  
  
Haruka, who seldom laughed, gave a chuckle and looked at Rei. “That means we’ll have to get another sniper. Nitori’s good, you can trust him.”  
  
Rin sighed, shaking his head. “Look, he’s cute and all, but you saw him. He stutters like a schoolgirl just talking to us—do you really think he can pull the trigger if worst comes to worst?”  
  
“Yes,” Haruka nodded.  
  
“Hmmm,” Nagisa leaned back against the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. “You know… I kinda agree with Rin on this one, but… I don’t doubt Haru-chan either. Rei,” he said as he looked at the man, “What do you think?”  
  
Rei looked at Nagisa, then Rin, then Haruka. “If Haru thinks Nitori can get the job done, then I trust his judgement. I share your concerns, Rin, but none of us know Nitori as much as Haruka does.”  
  
Rin nodded, “I guess that makes sense… but, I don’t like it. He’s ranked ninth in a group of nine members. Given, he’s only been here a short while, but has he actually done anything worthwhile enough, so that we can trust him for something as big as this? I mean, this is for the fucking Yakuza… I trust you, Haru, but taking chances just sounds like a bad idea.”  
  
Rei shook his head, “We can trust Nitori. Remember when we were dealing with the traitors, I told you a junior gave us the heads-up?”  
  
Rin blinked, “That was him?”  
  
“Yeah,” Haruka nodded. “They thought since we killed his mom, he’d want to flip sides and take revenge. He said he’d go along with their plan, then told me and Rei everything.”  
  
“We would have been fine without him,” Rei reasoned, “I had already figured out what was going to happen, but he did provide us with information that let us get the jump on them. I’m thankful for that. I don’t think he’s the best operative on the field, but we can trust him.”  
  
“Alright,” Rin nodded.  
  
Nagisa chuckled, listening to it all. “Then it’s settled. Nitori’s our sniper, Rin’s our main operative, and Haruka’s our distraction. Rei, you should stay with Nitori and be on audio, give us any information we need to know or any change to the plan. I’ll hold the exit clear with someone else. Hmm, I’ll take Kou if she’s up for it.”  
  
Rei nodded, “We would be making use of everyone’s personal strengths.” He wanted to add something along the lines of how that was beautiful, but he knew Nagisa would make fun of him for it, so he didn’t.  
  
Haruka grabbed a piece of paper and examined it. “This says the date we should do this is in a week’s time. Yamato’s heading to some late-night dinner party and he’s not bringing his nephew. Security will probably be beefed up, but then we don’t have to worry about by accidentally shooting Yamato.”  
  
Rei took the piece of paper and read the notes. “That gives us more time to gather data, and I think we would have a much higher chance of success with that. Nitori said the data is good but preliminary, and he’s right. For twenty-four hours, it’s to be expected.”  
  
“Still,” Nagisa crossed his legs, “I’m a little impressed they gathered so much.”  
  
“It’s Kou,” Rin grinned proudly, “She’s our best scout and knows how to command the juniors.”  
  
Haruka looked up then turned to Nagisa. “Hey, I heard Kou is one of the founding members, right?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Even before we made Iwatobi, it used to be just me and her.”  
  
Haruka tilted his head, “Then how come she’s not a senior?”  
  
“Hmmm, not sure,” Nagisa admitted, “I offered her a place up here with us, but she said she’d prefer being a junior.”  
  
Rin shrugged, “Maybe she just wants to keep an eye on the juniors.”  
  
Rei looked over to Nagisa, “What do you think?”  
  
Nagisa shrugged. “I think it’s because… well, she’s smart. She knows she’s good at what she does, good at being a leader without being a senior. That doesn’t make sense… Uh, I guess she’s good at telling people what to do without labelling them as orders, I think… She’s one of our best agents, and unlike some she doesn’t let pride get in the way of it.”  
  
Rin scoffed.  
  
“Oh,” Haruka blinked, “Okay.” Satisfied, he looked back at the pages of data and nodded. “Then we’ll just wait for more data.”  
  
“Week’s time,” Rei muttered, “We’ll get it done. The new supply of ammunition and guns should be here by that time.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, humming as he picked up the page about their target. “Makoto Tachibana… yeah, he _is_ cute, Haru-chan.” The blond tilted his head and smiled, “I bet he’d make a sexy face when he came… but probably a sexier face if I shot him, though.”


	3. Part 2: Watery Matrimony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the formatting is a little off in this chapter... Sort of looked wonky when I copy/pasted it. I'll take a look at it later. For now, enjoy more crazies!

Makoto walked down the hall and flicked the light switch on at the end. With a tired sigh, he stepped into the illuminated kitchen and walked over to the fridge. Opening the door, he grabbed the carton of orange juice and then grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Before he poured, he sniffed the air and pursed his lips. Leaving the carton and glass on the counter, he moved to the window and opened it. A breeze of refreshing cold air came in and he made a content noise.  
   
“You shouldn't open that.”  
   
Makoto rolled his eyes, knowing _that_ voice. His uncle had many security guards, but this one was just an asshole. He turned around, facing the man, and gave a peaceful smile. “The kitchen smells like garlic.”  
   
“Then let it smell like garlic.”  
   
“Yeah, but uncle doesn't like the smell, so I'm going to change the air.” He saw the man glaring at him and he didn't roll his eyes even though he wanted to, “It's just a window.”  
   
The security guard sighed and turned around, “Close it before you leave.”  
   
Makoto watched the man leave and shook his head. It really was _just_ a window, and he didn't understand why the security guard was so uptight about something as simple as that. “Whatever,” he mumbled when he knew the man was out of earshot. He poured himself the drink and sipped on it slowly. He leaned against the counter and sighed.  
   
After a moment, he stepped closer to the wall and looked out the window in question. He saw their pool and made a mental note that he'd have to get up early to practice his backstroke. “Hmm, should probably sleep soon...”  
   
  
~ ~ ~  
  
   
Nagisa was dressed to the nines, white undershirt, suit jacket overtop, pink-red tie, quality dress pants, real leather dress shoes, and even white gold cufflinks. For whatever reason, whenever a mission came, he wanted to do it in style. It was the same reason he wore clean underwear everyday—if people found him dead, they'd see him as a man of style. Or so he figured.  
   
Kou was in similar clothing. She'd been wearing a white dress shirt, blazer jacket overtop, and a matching classy skirt to go with. She was also wearing a pink cashmere scarf looped around her neck and black running shoes. Unlike Nagisa, she prioritized being able to run for her life over going out with style.  
   
The two of them were by the southern-side of the larger house, which led to a forest.  
   
Kou checked the magazine clip in her pistol and nodded. “Everything's going smoothly so far.”  
   
Nagisa nodded, “Just gotta wait for Rei's signal.” His dark pink eyes suddenly looked at her and he hummed, “Hey, Kou-kun, I have a question.”  
   
“Hm?”  
   
“Umm... well, Haruka kind of asked this a while back, but it's got me thinking.” Nagisa offered a smile, “When I asked you to become a senior... why did you say no?”  
   
Kou blinked twice and went silent for a moment. Her own eyes looked over to the trail and she tilted her head, wondering. “Um... I'm sorry Nagi, but that's kind of personal, I guess.”  
   
“Oh,” Nagisa looked to the trail, nodding. “Fair enough.”  
   
Kou snickered.  
   
“What?”  
   
“Nothing!”  
   
“Tell me!”  
   
Kou grinned, “It's just... when you said 'Fair enough', you sounded like my brother for a second. You must have gotten it from him, that's all.”  
   
Nagisa blinked, then chuckled. He scratched the back of his head and grinned, “Probably!”  
   
Before Kou could reply, a voice came from the earpiece they were both wearing.  
   
 _“This is Shark, I'm in position.”_  
   
  
~ ~ ~  
  
   
Rin pushed his finger against his earpiece, “This is Shark, I'm in position.”  
   
 _“Rockhopper here, both Penguin and I are in position too.”_  
   
 _“Dolphin is in position.”_  
   
 _“Butterfly and Mackerel are also in position.”_  
   
Rin paused and clicked the button again. “Haru, did you seriously give Nitori the codename 'Mackerel'?”  
   
 _“No.”_  
   
A pause.  
   
 _“Okay fine, I did.”_  
   
 _“That doesn't matter,”_ Rei's voice cut the chatter, _“If everyone is ready, then the operation will begin on my mark.”_  
   
 _“Rockhopper and Penguin are ready!”_  
   
Rin spoke into his mic, “Shark's ready.”  
   
 _“Dolphin is ready.”_  
   
 _“Then, Dolphin, begin the distraction.”_  
   
 _“Understood.”_  
   
Rin sighed as he crouched by the tree. He could see the rather large mansion for all it was worth, but his red eyes were looking around for Haruka. He knew it shouldn't be too long, and he was right. He saw a silhouette of Haruka's body (and he knew it was Haruka's body because he'd tapped it so many times) move on top of a shed with arms stretched outwards. He internally cringed as memories of April Fools came back to him.  
   
A string of high and squeaky dolphin-like noises filled the area.  
   
 _“Dolphin, this is Butterfly, many security guards are going to your position. Nicely done, go to cover. Shark, you path is clear, go now before they return.”_  
   
Rin sighed, but pushed a finger on the earpiece. “Understood, moving now.” And he did. Dashing through the open lot, he didn't care that he was trampling on flowers. He made his way until he was walking on pavement and his hand grabbed the doorknob of the entrance next to the garage door. Twisting the knob, he blinked as he realised it was unlocked. “Lucky me,” he grinned.  
   
Continuing to move, he opened another door, also unlocked. “This is Shark,” he whispered, “I'm inside.”  
   
 _“Already?”_ Rei's voice sounded of disbelief, _“Well done. Upstairs and second door on the right.”_  
   
Rin grumbled but did as he was told. If this was when he first began, he would have given a snarky response about how he knew that, but he knew he shouldn't take it personally. He stepped up the stairs as quietly as he could and moved to the second door on the right. Opening it, he pulled out his gun and aimed.  
   
Rin paused, frowning. “He's not here.”  
   
 _“What do you mean?”_  
   
Rin's red eyes noted the lights were on and so was the laptop on the bedside table. When he heard the toilet flush, he aimed his gun at the door connecting to what he assumed was a suite bathroom. “Nevermind, found him.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
   
Makoto hummed happily as he turned the knob of the sink and placed his hand under running water. Rubbing his hands together, he looked up the mirror and smiled at himself. Glancing to the side, he pushed on the soap dispenser and then rubbed the soap over his hands, letting it to turn into a white foamy covering before he placed his hands under water once again.  
   
Turning the knob the other way, he stopped the running water. He spun in a semicircle and grabbed a smaller towel. Drying his hands with it, he placed it back and continued to happily hum a tune stuck in his head. He pondered what it was but he couldn't remember which song. Probably something he heard on the radio.  
   
Not thinking much of it, he grabbed the door handle and opened the door. The first thing he noticed was that there was someone else in his room and he offered a smile, “Hello, how can I help…” Makoto noticed the gun, “... you…?”  
   
   
“Stay, silent,” Rin hissed. “You're going to come with me. One wrong move, one sound, and I shoot. Do you understand me?”  
   
Makoto swallowed hard as his eyes widened.  
   
“I said, do you understand me?”  
   
“Y-yes, sir.”  
   
“Don't call me sir,” Rin rolled his eyes. “Bunch of psycho kids...”  
   
~ ~ ~  
   
Haruka swallowed hard as he pushed his back against cold metal. He brought a hand up against the earpiece and clicked the button, “Dolphin here. I've been spotted. Some guys were following me.”  
   
 _“This is Butterfly. Mackerel says you have a clean route into the home, but we're going to lose visual of you when you go in.”_  
   
Haruka sighed, closing his eyes to take a deep breath. “Understood, I'll make my way there now.”  
   
 _“Rockhopper and Penguin, what's the status of the escape route?”_  
   
Kou's voice came on air, _“Coast is clear: No activity, as expected.”_  
   
~ ~ ~  
   
Pushing the barrel of the gun against Makoto's head, Rin steadily went down the stairs with the other man. He mentally cursed, groaning about how Makoto was taller than him even with his boots. Still, Makoto was being good and slouching slightly. Obedient pet, Rin smirked as they continued their way into the kitchen. He sniffed the air and made a face when he realised it smelled like garlic.  
   
“Stop where you are.”  
   
Rin turned, pressing the gun against his hostage as he stared at the security guard.  
   
The guard pointed a gun at him, frowning.  
   
“If you call for backup,” Rin's eyes narrowed, “He's a goner.”  
   
 _“This is Rockhopper! Escape route's been compromised. Shark, Dolphin, I repeat: Escape route has been compromised, don't go that way! Butterfly, establish a new meeting point!”_  
   
Rin made a 'tsk' noise, as he kept his eyes on the man in front of him.  
   
Rei's voice came on next, _“Understood.”_  
   
The security guard smirked, “You're not going anywhere.”  
   
“I'll shoot him,” Rin grinned.  
   
Makoto swallowed hard, closing his eyes.  
   
The security guard only laughed, “And what makes you think I won't make that sacrifice?”  
   
~ ~ ~  
   
“Shark!” Rei spoke into the mic, “Shark, where are you? Respond. Shark!” He sighed, removing his finger from the button, “Find him, now.”  
   
Nitori looked through the scope of the sniper, nodding. “I'll find him,” he whispered, focused on the task at hand. Through the scope, he looked at the details of the mansion, silently biting his lip. He moved his gun, then stopped. “Found him,” he whispered, suddenly understanding why he was silent. His finger curled around the trigger, shaking for a second out of hesitation.  
   
~ ~ ~  
   
A breeze moved through the kitchen and the security guard looked to the side for a second. “Stupid kid, didn't I tell you to shut the damn window before you left?”  
   
“It, it smelled like garlic,” Makoto whispered with eyes closed.  
   
Rin raised an eyebrow. “What's the problem with a window being open?”  
   
“Well, you see,” the security guard began, before he suddenly gawked. Choking, he pressed a hand against his neck and looked out the window. With force, his head cocked back and he hit the ground.  
   
Rin blinked twice before he noticed a bullet in the man's forehead.  
   
 _“I got him!”_  
   
“Nitori?” Rin said in disbelief.  
   
Nagisa's voice came on next, _“So much for not leaving evidence.”_  
   
 _“I fired through an open window, so if we remove the body there won't be any evidence. Maybe a blood trail, but not enough to trace them back to us.”_  
   
 _“Not bad, then, Mackerel.”_  
   
Rin breathed a sigh of relief and clicked the button with his free hand. “Yeah, couldn't talk with that fucker. I...” He suddenly paused at the sound of footsteps. He held up his gun and narrowed his eyes.  
   
“Just me.”  
   
Rin lowered the gun and sighed, “Good timing.”  
   
“This is Dolphin, I've found Shark,” Haruka explained as he stepped into the kitchen. “Between the two of us, we can get the target and the body out of here relatively quickly.”  
   
“Take the body,” Rin motioned to it with a nudge of his head.  
   
“The body's going to be heavier, you take it,” Haruka looked at Rin, then Makoto. “Give me my husband, I'll take him.”  
   
Makoto blinked, “Wait, what?”  
   
Rin sighed, “Don't ask.” Letting go of Makoto he moved over and heaved the security guard's corpse up. “Butterfly, we need an escape route.”  
   
Haruka pressed his gun against Makoto's side, “Sorry, Husband.”  
   
Makoto stared at him in pure confusion.  
   
 _“From where you are, just keep moving south. You should be able to join Rockhopper and Penguin where they are now. From then, we follow the original plan.”_  
   
“Understood,” Rin muttered. He looked at Haruka and nodded. The opened the door leading outside and Rin began running, quickly, but heard a lack of footsteps. When he turned around, Haruka was standing still. “What the hell are you doing?” he hissed. His eyes suddenly widened, “You're fucking kidding me...”  
   
Haruka froze, eyes fixated on the large, lavish swimming pool.  
   
“Are you fucking me, Haru?”  
   
Haruka looked up and shook his head, “Only if the husband allows it.”  
   
Makoto looked between Rin, Haruka and the pool and kept blinking.  
   
Haruka looked up at Makoto and swallowed hard. “We could get married... right here, in watery matrimony.”  
   
 _“Haruka, this is Butterfly. I'll give you an underwater blowjob, just keep moving!”_  
   
Haruka sighed and shook his head, “Sorry Husband. We'll get married after my underwater blowjob.”  
   
Makoto's eyes widened, “What?”  
   
~ ~ ~  
   
Nagisa watched the four of them (or well, three and a dead body) make their way towards them and he looked at Kou, giving her a nod. Instantly rising from his crouched position, he clicked the button on his earpiece and spoke into it: “Butterfly, I see them coming. Is there anyone pursuing them?”  
   
 _“No, no one. They're clear.”_  
   
Kou pressed the button, “Good. I'll go on ahead, I'll see you and Mackerel soon.” She gave Nagisa a nod before running off.  
   
Nagisa waited a little longer before he gave them a wave. “This way!” he silently shouted.  
   
Haruka nodded, pulling Makoto along, while Rin dragged the dead security guard.  
   
 _“Oh,”_ Kou spoke over the com-device, _“Make sure all guns are on safety. We don't want another incident.”_  
   
~ ~ ~  
   
Eventually, Nagisa and the rest made it to a car parked in the woods. Rin dumped the dead body in the truck while everyone got in. It looked like a normal black car, slightly longer, and Makoto got in as instructed. To his surprise, it was far bigger inside than it looked from the outside. Having cushions in the back somewhat like a limousine, the seats were shaped in a 'U' and he sat across from Nagisa. Nagisa sat next to Kou, and Makoto sat next to Haruka. On the base part of the U-shape, Rin and Nitori sat next to each other. Rei was driving.  
   
Makoto swallowed hard as he looked at the group around him. After a minute, he pursed his lips. “So...”  
   
Haruka looked at him, “Marry me.”  
   
Makoto blinked.  
   
“Marry me, in watery matrimony.”  
   
Kou raised an eyebrow and Nitori's jaw slightly dropped.  
   
Nagisa snickered. “If you marry him, you also get to bang the maid of honour whenever you want.”  
   
Makoto looked around, eyes settling on Kou.  
   
Kou's cheeks went red.  
   
“Hey!” Rin shouted, “Don't fucking look at my sister that way!”  
   
Makoto raised his hands in defense and yelped, “Ah, no, it's just, she's the only girl, and he said maid of honour...”  
   
“It's me!” Nagisa shouted, throwing his hands in the air.  
   
“Oh, okay. That's good.” Makoto looked at Kou, “No offense, I'm just not into girls.”  
   
Kou rolled her eyes—of course he wasn't.  
   
Nagisa grinned, “Yay! He's gay! That means we can have a wedding! But, Mako-chan, all this talk about weddings is silly, isn't it? I mean, your body’s gonna end up in a ditch. You do know that, right?”  
   
Makoto felt his jaw tighten.  
   
“Don't worry, if you cooperate, we'll let you live.”  
   
“I'll cooperate.”  
   
“Good!” Nagisa nodded, “So, Mako-chan...” He paused for a moment, “I can call you Mako-chan, right?”  
   
“Um,” Makoto blinked, “Chan's not really for guys my age...”  
   
“But you wouldn't mind, right?”  
   
“Well, I kind of do... Please, don't call me Mako-chan.”  
   
Nagisa sighed as he pulled out his gun. Flicking off the safety, he aimed it at the brown haired male. “What happened to being cooperative, Makoto?”  
   
Makoto's eyes widened and his hands began shaking. At that moment, he realised he didn't really like it when Nagisa said his full name anyway. “You guys can call me wh-whatever you want.”  
   
Haruka nodded, “Then I'm going to call you 'Husband'. Or would you prefer 'Dear'? Do you want our wedding by the ocean? Or a pool? Indoor or outdoor pool—if you want pool, I'm fine by ocean too, if that's what you want, Husband.”  
   
“Um... I... I have no idea,” he admitted. “I don't know if I want to get married.”  
   
Haruka stared, “Oh.”  
   
Suddenly feeling bad, Makoto scratched the back of his head. “I'm still considering it, I just think this happening too fast.”  
   
Haruka nodded slowly, “When we swim together you'll understand.”  
   
Makoto was about to ask what that had to do with anything, but eventually shook his head. “Um, we can talk about that later... Can we talk about how you guys sort of broke in, shot a security guard, and stole me away?”  
   
“Kidnapped,” Nagisa corrected as he put his gun away. Looking to Kou, he gave her a nod. “We'll tell you more when we get to our super-secret base!”  
   
“Oh... kay,” Makoto nodded slowly.  
   
Kou slipped the scarf off her neck and leaned forward. She wrapped it around his head and sighed, “I'm blindfolding you. Don't worry, we'll guide you out. Just walk slowly when we get there. Too fast and you'll make both of us trip.”  
   
“Okay,” Makoto repeated, more firmly this time.  
   
As the rest of the ride fell into silence, Rin scratched the back of his head. “Hey,” he said to the teen sitting next to him, “Um, in the kitchen. Nice shot.”  
   
Nitori smiled sheepishly and nodded, “Thank you, Matsuoka-san.”  
   
“Rin,” he corrected, “Just call me Rin.”  
   
Nitori blinked, “Are you, sure?”  
   
“Yeah, I uh... don't like formalities.”  
   
Nitori nodded, wiggling a bit in his seat. “Then um, Aiichiro... you can call me Aiichiro, my first name.”  
   
Rin nodded, feeling his cheeks warm. “Cool.”  
   
Kou blinked, looking between the two.  
   
“Ha!” Nagisa shouted as he pointed at them, “Boyfriends!”  
   
Rin made a 'tch' noise and crossed his arms, looking away.  
   
Nitori avoided eye contact with everyone and smiled in his seat.  
   
“So...” Makoto cleared his throat, “Are you guys like some... kidnapping, armed with guns, break-in matchmaking service? Because that's my best guess so far...”


	4. Part 3: Hostage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The craziness continues!

Nagisa slowly crossed his arms and gave a little nod. “Whelp, he's confined. So far so good, well done everyone!” He chuckled, tilting his head, “We won't know how well we did until it comes on the news, but, I think we did awesomely. We really left no traces, but let's focus on phase two of our mission. Starting tomorrow, Rei-chan, you send the message to Yamato. If he puts his name on the ballot, then his kinda-sexy nephew gets a bullet in the face.”  
  
“Understood,” the blue haired man nodded, “Do you want me to write the report for tonight?”  
  
“You do give the most detailed reports–”  
  
“–Naturally,” Rei smiled as he adjusted his glasses.  
  
“–But Kou will be writing the report, since you've spent a couple nights this week overtime. You have the night off, so use it to relax,” Nagisa offered a smile.  
  
Rei blinked, before nodding. “Kou can complete the task with ease, I suppose. Very well, then if I am not needed I'll head home.”  
  
“Bye Rei-chan!” Nagisa grinned and waved.  
  
Rei only nodded before he left.  
  
Nagisa's dark pink eyes turned to the two sitting across from him. “Haruka, Rin, I want you two to take care of the dead body in the trunk. Dispose of it, properly, and leave no trace. Oh, and do make sure you air out the trunk and make one of the juniors clean up any blood stains.”  
  
Haruka nodded.  
  
Rin groaned, but nodded as well.  
  
“Kou-kun!” Nagisa turned to her, “You'll be writing the report.”  
  
“Okay, I'll have it done by tomorrow morning.”  
  
“Perfect,” his eyes looked around the table until it fell on Nitori. “Hmmm, what should I make you do... Rin-chan, if you and Haruka need a hand with the body?”  
  
“We'll be fine,” Rin shrugged, “Dealing with a body is what we usually do.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled, “Right, don't want your boyfriend's virgin eyes–”  
  
“Um,” Nitori swallowed hard as his fingers clenched his pants, “Hazuki-sama!”  
  
“Don't call me that. Nagisa's fine.”  
  
Nitori remembered Haruka mentioning not to ever use Nagisa's last name and he wished he hadn't said anything. But with the look that everyone was giving him, he felt prompted to talk. “If there is anything I can do to help, just ask. I'll be on standby if there's nothing for me to do.”  
  
“Sure,” Nagisa finally smiled again. “You did well, but if you want to go home tonight you can. You should get some beauty sleep for RinRin.”  
  
“Shut it!” Rin frowned, “He doesn't need to get beauty sleep for me!”  
  
“Oh, that's right,” Nagisa nodded, “I guess that means RIn already finds you beautiful!”  
  
Nitori's face burned and he stood up slowly. “I'm going to be in the lounge, if anyone needs me.” Within a second, he was out the door and down the stairs.  
  
Rin groaned and stood up, smacking Haruka's shoulder. “Let's get going before the trunk starts to smell of corpse.”  
  
Haruka nodded silently and the two of them left.  
  
Kou looked at Nagisa and tilted her head. “What about you?”  
  
“Me?” Nagisa snickered before getting to his feet. “I have the joy of getting to talk to the hostage we have! Plus, should probably take a couple pictures of me holding a gun to his head.”  
  
“Oh,” Kou smiled, “For Rei?”  
  
“That's a good idea!” Nagisa nodded, “Was just gonna take them for me, but if I gave them to Rei he could put them in the angry 'We have your nephew!' letter.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Makoto swallowed hard as he sat in the room. It was a larger bedroom, with an attached ensuite bathroom, a desk, a T.V., couple shelves with books and who-knows-what. In all honesty, he didn't really think this place had anything to do with kidnapping. If it wasn't for the fact that the door could be locked and unlocked from both sides, given the right code, he would have thought this place to be a completely normal bedroom.  
  
He rested a hand on the bed and felt the soft sheets. From when he first entered, he could tell they were washed recently, as if to make his stay with them them more pleasant. “Considerate kidnappers,” he said in disbelief. Still, he appreciated the act. Throwing his feet up on the bed, he lied down and stared at the green ceiling. Just what kind of building was this? What kind of people were these people? What was going on? Makoto sighed. The short blond crazy one told him that he would be informed soon enough, but it was a bit hard to think it would be that simple. He had been waiting for possibly half an hour and he pursed his lips.  
  
Of course it would take longer than this.  
  
He checked his pockets, wishing he had his cellphone. He'd remember seeing a glimpse of the olive-green flip-phone on his bed as Rin pushed the gun against his head, while escorting him out. He pursed his lips as he remembered the sight of the asshole security guard, how the man's head cocked back with force, a sliver of blood splashing from the hole. He shuddered, rolling over to face the wall. He shook his head again and again, trying to shake the memory with the motion. “Never liked him, but...” watching him die was something different altogether. He shuddered and sighed.  
  
With a click, the door opened and he heard someone with a higher voice sing out “Mako-chan!”  
  
He lifted himself, sitting up on the bed.  
  
Nagisa grinned wide as he closed the door behind him.  
  
Great, Makoto paled: It was the crazy one.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Nitori leaned back on the sofa as he watched the T.V.  
  
It was the lower lounge, made for the junior members. He kept the volume low for Kou, who was writing the report several seats over. She said it was fine if he wanted to watch at a normal volume, but he lowered it anyway. Kou didn't say anything, but she was thankful nonetheless. After the eventful night, they were both happy that things were calm, at least for now.  
  
Nitori changed the channel, trying to find something more light-hearted, but it was pretty late and all the sadistic stuff was on. He eventually stopped at a comedy channel and watched absent-mindedly.  
  
Kou's fingers clattered against her mini-laptop, a red-pink colour that matched her hair. “You shouldn't worry too much about the teasing.”  
  
“Hm?” Nitori said initially as he turned his head to look at her. “Oh, you mean how Nagisa-san teases Rin and I?”  
  
“Yeah,” Kou nodded, “Don't worry about it; he does that a lot, to a lot of people. Just let him have his fun, he is the boss after all... somehow,” she chuckled.  
  
“Okay,” Nitori looked back at the T.V. “I don't really mind... I think he's just doing that to tease Matsuk... Rin, I mean.” He decided to stay silent about the kiss. It probably wouldn't do any good to tell Kou he by accidentally kissed her brother... it wasn't _really_ his fault... He was just thinking about the codename 'Shark', and the rumours about his freaky teeth... and when he looked at them... He shifted a little in his seat.  
  
Gou hummed to herself, typing away, but eventually looked up as she heard someone walk down the stairs. She knew that the bouncy, happy steps could only be one person. “Done talking to him already?”  
  
“Not yet,” Nagisa chuckled as he stepped into the room, putting his arms behind his head. “He just said he's kinda hungry, and I haven't had dinner yet, either, so I was thinking we should get something to eat.”  
  
“I haven't eaten either,” Kou suddenly realised, “Nitori?”  
  
“M-me neither,” Nitori rubbed his arm.  
  
Nagisa clasped his hands together, “Well, you know what that means!”  
  
“What does that mean?”  
  
“That we should probably make use of the kitchen this place has,” Nagisa scratched the back of his head, “I guess I'll just cook some–”  
  
“No!” Kou screamed.  
  
Nagisa blinked, “Come on, Kou... I've gotten better at cooking!”  
  
“No,” Kou repeated, putting her laptop down.  
  
Nagisa pouted, “I only poisoned you guys twice...”  
  
“Twice, _each_ ,” she corrected with a wag of her finger. “I guess I'll go make something.”  
  
“Um,” Nitori stood up, “You're busy with the report. I can cook, if that's okay.”  
  
Kou stood up slowly and nodded, “Sure, let's just go check if we _have_ any groceries. Rin and Haru are out, so we could ask them to get anything we need.”  
  
Nagisa bit his inner cheek, but mentally sighed. He knew everyone would probably end up dead if he tried to cook a meal for more than one person anyway. “Fine! But it better be tasty!”  
  
“I'll do my best,” Nitori nodded.  
  
Kou chuckled, then turned around and walked towards the kitchen.  
  
Nitori followed her, “Does anyone actually stock up?”  
  
“Rei does, and he cooks here too, every once in a while.” Kou looked around, “Haruka also cooks, but only mackerel… He’s got a strange fixation on it… that’s why he gave you that codename.” Opening the fridge, she raised an eyebrow. “Um... we could make something with this... I think, maybe?”  
  
Nitori opened the pantry and his eyes widened. “Um... Why are there like twenty boxes of mac' and cheese?”  
  
She held a hand to her mouth and chuckled, “That's Nagisa for you... but if we're going to eat, I think Haruka and Rin will probably want to eat too. Mac' and cheese is probably a good way to feed a lot, right?”  
  
“Right.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Haruka removed the plastic gloves and threw them in the garbage; he turned to the car, but noticed his partner standing by the ditch. “We should move, before we get seen.”  
  
“I know,” Rin snapped, “I'm the one that taught you that.”  
  
Haruka just stared.  
  
Rin sighed and pulled off his plastic gloves. He walked over to the garbage bin and threw them out as Haruka did. He walked over to the car and opened the front door.  
  
Haruka moved around the vehicle and sat in the passenger seat. As soon as the car started, he pushed the button for the radio to play.  
  
Rin quickly pushed the button to turn off the music.  
  
Haruka blinked twice and looked at the redhead.  
  
Rin shifted the gear to drive and hit the gas. It wasn't long before they got onto the main road and were heading back.  
  
“What's wrong?”  
  
“Hm?” Rin glanced sidelong at Haruka for a moment, before looking back at the road. “Nothing, just, frustrated. That's all.”  
  
“Frustrated?”  
  
“Yeah, just, with things,” he glanced at his side mirror before signalling and changing lanes. “You know I always get like this after a mission or whatever, nothing new.”  
  
Haruka nodded slightly before leaning back on his chair.  
  
“So,” Rin eyed his passenger for a moment, before looking forward again, “This new guy, you gonna ask him to marry you?”  
  
Haruka paused for a moment before nodding once again, “But, after my blowjob, from Rei.”  
  
Rin snickered, “Man, I actually feel bad for him.” Rin wasn't that chatty, but when it came to Haruka, he knew he had to talk for both of them. “Nagisa was making him pull a lot of late-nights to make that plan go right. I mean, it pulled off, and apparently there was something weird about the security guard patrols he found out, but it all worked to our advantage. Still, gotta feel bad for him, having to work late night all week then go on a mission.”  
  
Haruka stayed silent.  
  
“I'm gonna try and convince him to take a couple days off this week,” Rin bit his lip, “But he'll probably get a big dick about it and say that he needs to work to bla bla bla...”  
  
Haruka blinked, “Get a big dick?”  
  
“Yeah, like, make a big deal about it,” Rin chuckled, “Sorry, not what you were thinking.”  
  
“Oh,” Haruka nodded, “No, it wasn't what I was thinking.”  
  
Rin snorted and focused on the road. “Have no idea how that guy can do overtimes so easily?”  
  
“Nagisa,” Haruka pointed out, “He makes it worth his while.”  
  
“Well, _that's_ true.”  
  
“Mhm.”  
  
“Yeah, man, Rei's been hogging Nagisa's tight ass,” Rin suddenly smirked, glancing to his side, “Maybe that's why I'm so, frustrated.”  
  
Haruka looked to the side, not saying anything but he knew what would happen next, and his lips curved into a simple smile.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Makoo-chaaan!” Nagisa said as the door flew open.  
  
Makoto looked up from his seat and scratched the back of his head, “Hi.”  
  
In one hand, Nagisa was holding a rather large bowl, full of mac' and cheese, and mackerel, and some minced vegetables and some other strange things, while he was holding a large glass of water in his other hand.  
  
Makoto instantly got up; “Here, let me help,” he said as he took the bowl and placed it on the desk. “How did you open the door with all this in your hand?”  
  
“I have my ways!”  
  
Makoto didn't doubt that. He looked at the bowl and it... actually smelled pretty nice. “But, Nagisa... there's at least enough for three people here.”  
  
“We're sharing,” Nagisa put the glass of water down and pulled out two forks. “I think this will help you become more cooperative if we share meals together.”  
  
Makoto blinked twice and nodded, even if he didn't completely understand what the crazy kid meant. He pulled another chair so they could sit at the corner of the desk together.  
  
Nagisa took his seat and instantly began digging in.  
  
Makoto took a fork-full and sniffed it, deciding it was worth taking the chance, putting it in his mouth, chewing.  
  
“Aaaaand?”  
  
After swallowing, he nodded, “This is actually really good.”  
  
“I'll give your compliments to the chef!” Nagisa grinned.  
  
“You guys have a chef?”  
  
“Nah, just one of the juniors,” Nagisa shrugged.  
  
“So...” Makoto ate another piece and waited until he chewed and swallowed before speaking, “What kind of building is this...? I mean, it doesn't look like this room was made for holding a hostage.”  
  
“Nope, it wasn't,” Nagisa agreed, “Apparently this place was a sort of small dorm at first, then some guy bought it and made it into a brothel, which means most of the rooms were changed to bedrooms... it's sort of a strange place, but it's easy to care for and it gives us a place to hide our things, you know, illegal stuff.”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto felt like his question was answered, though he wasn't sure if he wanted to ask anymore questions. Still, he felt like he needed to know the basics, at least. “So what do you guys, do, exactly?”  
  
“Hmmmm,” Nagisa thought to himself. “That's sort of a tough question, and I can't really tell you much since we _do_ plan on giving you back.”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto's eyes lit up, “That makes me happy.” He swallowed another fork-full and looked at the blond, “So um, why _am_ I here anyway?”  
  
“Your uncle!” Nagisa grinned, “See, your uncle's wants to be mean and up police enforcement, and take away crime and illegal stuff, and that's a bad thing for us. Sooooo, what I'm gonna do is put a gun to your head, and if he puts his name on the ballot for the next mayor election, I pull the trigger and you go bye-bye!”  
  
Makoto blinked. He was at a complete loss as to what he should be feeling. On one hand, Nagisa had obviously lost it and wanted to kill him; but, on the other hand, the way Nagisa said 'bye-bye' was so cute he just wanted to hug the little crazy, psychopathic blond. Instead of reacting, he grabbed the glass of water and sipped on it slowly before he placed it back on the desk.  
  
“Ow!”  
  
Makoto jumped, “What did I do?”  
  
“Nuh'ing,” Nagisa grabbed his cheek, “Bi' my 'ounge.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Bi' my tongue.”  
  
“Oh, you bit your tongue?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, pouting.  
  
“Aww,” Makoto smiled. Without thinking, he placed a hand tenderly on Nagisa's cheek and stroked his thumb along the soft skin.  
  
Nagisa blinked twice and then smiled, “Are you always so nice to people? Even the ones that kidnap you?”  
  
“Ah,” Makoto realised what he was doing and looked away, “Well I’ve never been kidnapped before, but yeah... They nicknamed me Mommy-Makoto in preschool, because I was like that… to everyone.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and grabbed another heaping forkful of the cheesy monstrosity.  
  
Makoto continued eating, mentally questioning the rather awkward position he was in.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Hello?”  
  
Kou looked up from the table and smiled at the sound of her brother's voice. “We're in the kitchen.”  
  
Rin stepped in and sniffed the air, “Sweet. Grub.”  
  
Haruka stepped in after him, walking with a rather obvious limp. “Food?” he looked mildly interested as he took a seat at the table. “Is that...?”  
  
“Mackerel,” Kou instantly scooped some of cheese-disaster into two bowls and pushed it to the others.  
  
Rin took a seat, not really caring what they were eating so long as it was mildly edible. He was rather content considering... He flashed a little smile to Haruka then used a fork to stab some of the food. “Mac' and cheese, huh? Are these Nagisa's orders?”  
  
“No, actually,” Kou chuckled, “Nitori made dinner, but it's not like we had much else besides mac' and cheese and mackerel.”  
  
“Fish and macaroni,” Rin raised an eyebrow then put it in his mouth. After chewing, he gave a little nod of appreciation and swallowed. “You'd think it would taste pretty weird, but it's not bad.”  
  
“Th-thank you,” Nitori, who was sitting on the other side of the table, hands in his laps, cheeks red, gave a small smile as he watched Rin eat it. “I was going to make everything separate, but we didn't really have enough clean pots and pans, so Kou told me to just throw it all together.”  
  
Kou nodded, “Nagisa will eat anything, really.”  
  
“Who said my name?” Nagisa said as he popped in the kitchen and grinned. “Just kidding, I know it was Kou. Girly voice gave it away.” He instantly starting pouring more of the food into the larger bowl and then shovelled it into his mouth.  
  
“Don't forget to chew,” Rin muttered.  
  
Nitori gulped, “... or breathe.”  
  
“Nah, I'll be fine!” Nagisa said with a bright smile before returning to his act of devouring his plate.  
  
“So,” Kou looked over to her brother, “How was dumping the body?”  
  
“Same old, same old,” Rin shrugged. “Any news on Tachi... what's his face? The dorky looking more-cops mayor guy?”  
  
“He's reported Makoto missing,” Nagisa explained after he swallowed. “The police believe he just went for a walk or something, or that's what our sources say. It hasn’t been that long after all.”  
  
Nitori blinked, “We have sources in the police?”  
  
“Mhm,” Nagisa nodded with a smile, “If they give us significant information, we pay them more than what they make in a year. Of course, we're the ones that decide if something's significant, so they just give us everything they know and I pay them when I feel like it.”  
  
“But,” Nitori looked around, “What's stopping them from turning on us?”  
  
Rin chuckled, “Well, it's obvious, isn't it? We know who they are, who their parents are, spouses, kids... if they cross us, we just go after the people they love, one by one. If that ends up being the end of us, it'll be the end of them too. They know that. A lot of them have stopped giving us information, but none of them have ever crossed us. One of them threatened us, though.”  
  
Haruka smiled at the memory.  
  
Nitori swallowed hard, “What happened?”  
  
“Well,” Rin looked at Nagisa, who only giggled. “Let's just say, he's a family man and he's constantly giving us information to protect what he holds very dear to him.”  
  
“Fucker,” Nagisa shrugged, “His kids aren't even cute.”  
  
“Or smart,” Haruka pointed out.  
  
Kou shook her head, smiling. “I really don't think anyone who's crossed Nagisa hasn't regretted it by now...”  
  
Nagisa chuckled. “Nope, I was in kindergarden when I started making a list of people who were mean to me.”  
  
“Like that one cashier,” Haruka pointed out.  
  
Nagisa laughed, nodding. He realised Nitori was lost, so he cleared his throat. “I think it was a couple months ago, when Haruka just became a senior, I was walking down the street with Haru and RinRin, and I saw a guy who badmouthed me three years ago. I think all he did was tell me not to eat so many sweets because it's bad for me; anyway, so I was walking down the street and I recognised him, and I just told Haru and Rin to tear him to shreds, and they did!”  
  
Nitori blinked. “Wow... that sounds...”  
  
“Awful?” Nagisa supplied.  
  
“Well, yeah, but I was going to say... that kind of, sounds...” Nitori looked down, “Nice.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, looking up from his bowl. “Nice?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nitori looked up, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Like, imagine everyone who even did a little bit of wrong to you was punished for it. That would be nice.”  
  
There was a silence that passed; and, surprisingly, it was Haruka who broke it: “Was there a lot of people who did wrong to you?”  
  
Nitori's face went red and he looked away, “Ah w-well, there mostly d-dead now, s-since... you and... Rin, took care of 'em.”  
  
Rin blinked, “We did?”  
  
“You shot his mom,” Nagisa reminded, “Plus a bunch of other people.”  
  
“Oh,” Rin finished the last of his bowl and stood up from the table. “Well, if it helps, I wish I could shoot those fuckers again.”  
  
“Thanks,” Nitori smiled; he wasn’t sure if that was something that should be making him smile, but it made him happy nonetheless. It sort of… felt like someone wanted to protect him.  
  
“Ha!” Nagisa pointed at him, “Ai-chan’s bluuuushing!”  
  
Nitori looked up and put a hand to his cheeks and felt the warmth. Blushing even more, he stood up and bowed. “If you’ll excuse me…”  
  
Kou rolled her eyes.  
  
Rin made a ‘tsk’ noise.  
  
Nagisa grinned in victory.  
  
Haruka just kept eating mackerel.


	5. Part 4: Pictures and Video

Contrary to what Makoto had initially believed, being tied up wasn’t half as scary as he thought it would be. The ropes were tight, but not painfully so, and the chair he was tied to was pretty comfy too. He was in the centre of a dark room, with only one light hanging above him. A certain blond was taking pictures with him, like a tourist would around an important landmark. It had been going on for almost twenty minutes before he suddenly felt weight on his lap.  
  
“Selfie!” Nagisa shouted as he clicked a button and took a picture of them with his phone. Looking at the picture, he smiled. It was a perfect angle of his gun being pointed at Makoto’s face while he himself was donning the cutest expression he could muster. “I think this one’s my favourite so far, Mako-chan!”  
  
Makoto gave a little nod, not really sure what he was supposed to say at this point.  
  
Nagisa held his hand out again and made sure both he and Makoto were in the next shot. “Oh, oh, duckfaces for irony this time.” He suddenly squished his lips in and took the picture. Looking at it, he chuckled, “Not bad, Mako-chan!”  
  
“Thanks…” Makoto smiled nervously.  
  
“Oh, oh, okay so for this one you should look really really scared!”  
  
Makoto did his best to look horrified, though it wasn’t that hard considering there was a gun pushed against the underside of his chin.  
  
There was a click as Nagisa took the picture and he looked at it. “Oh wow, this one looks really good! Realistic!”  
  
“Ah, yeah,” Makoto wiggled a bit, feeling the ropes around his wrists. “I was in the drama club when I was in highschool, so I have practice.”  
  
“Really?” Nagisa’s eyes widened with excitement.  
  
Makoto chuckled, “Yeah. One of my teachers told me I would be good with it, since… well, he said I was ‘in touch with my emotions’ or something.”  
  
“Awww, you’re a sensitive man.” Teasingly, Nagisa brought their faces closer together and pushed his lips to the very corner of Makoto’s mouth, placing a little kiss right there.  
  
Makoto’s cheeks went bright red and burned. He swallowed hard and gave another nervous chuckle. As weird as it was, of these crazy moments of taking pictures with guns… he was, having fun? He knew how freakishly wrong that was, but his green eyes looked into Nagisa’s dark pink ones and he moved his head. He placed his lips against Nagisa’s cheek and returned the little kiss.  
  
Nagisa blinked twice, then burst into a big smile. He slipped his arms around Makoto’s neck and hugged him tight. “You’re being really cooperative today, Mako-chan!”  
  
“Heh, yeah…”  
  
Nagisa looked into those green eyes and he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he heard the door on the far side of the room open. Turning his head, he smiled, “Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses with one hand as he pulled in a tripod. “Are you ready to take the video?”  
  
Nagisa nodded and slowly slipped out of Makoto’s lap.  
  
Makoto looked at both of them, “Video?”  
  
Rei nodded and placed the tripod down. “Your uncle is currently unaware that we have you, and if we told him he would ask for proof. Aware of this, we will send him a video of you and he’ll have no choice but to believe us, or he could go in denial, but he’ll shake out of it eventually. Nagisa is going to be speaking. When we give you the signal that’s your turn to talk, understood?”  
  
“Me?” Makoto looked at Nagisa, “What do I say?”  
  
“Anything you want,” Nagisa shrugged. “It just has to sound like ‘you’. If you’re feeling cooperative, Mako-chan, you could always tell him to keep hush-hush about this, hehe. You know, bolster our case. If the police don’t get involved, it will go a lot more smoother for you.”  
  
Makoto gave a silent nod as he looked at the camera.  
  
Rei adjusted lens a bit then looked at Nagisa, “Ready?”  
  
“Always!”  
  
He hit the button and gave Nagisa a nod.  
  
“Hiya!” Nagisa shouted. The camera was pointed in a way that he would be off screen and that it mainly focused on Makoto’s face. Still, he wanted the barrel of his gun to be visible, so he pushed it against the side of Makoto’s head. “Look, I’m holding a gun! And as you can see, we got this fine and handsome young man here! Isn’t that scaaaary? Well, it should be, because one little movement of my finger and a bullet goes through his brain and he dies, and everyone will know it’s your fault Mister Yamato-chan!”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard.  
  
“But it’s okay, we don’t want to shoot Mako-chan. He’s been very cooperative and we’re hoping you are too! This is what we propose, Yama-chan! As you know, the mayoral… is mayoral a word?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei responded.  
  
“Oh, okay, anyway, in the mayoral elections, we don’t want you to put your name on the ballot because we’re mean people. But, the choice is yours. If you put your name on the ballot, this guy gets shot and he’s dead forever and everyone will know it’s your fault! If you don’t put your name on the ballot, we’ll give him back to you and that will be that. We don’t want any trouble, Yama-chan, so it’s okay, you can trust us. But just imagine, if you put your name on the ballot and Mako-chan went boom in the face and you didn’t even win, what would that be like? Oh wow, I don’t know if I could live with _that_ kind of guilt. Could you, Mako-chan?”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard; with the barrel of the gun against his cheek, he couldn’t turn his head, so he moved his eyes to look at Nagisa. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted.  
  
“Awww, even Mako-chan is being troubled by your little dilemma, but don’t worry… he’ll understand if you want to sacrifice him, won’t he?” Nagisa giggled, “Anyway, do you have anything you want to share with your uncle-dearest, Mako?”  
  
Makoto looked at Rei.  
  
Rei nodded, giving the signal.  
  
Makoto looked at the camera and swallowed hard. “Um, I… I don’t really know what to say right now… I just, I don’t know what’s going on but you should try to deal with this peacefully… they really are going to shoot me: This isn’t a joke. I just… don’t let my mom and dad worry about it, and try to keep this from little Ren and Ran, okay? They’re just kids, too young to deal with all of this… I really want to see them again, but… I…” He suddenly felt his eyes water and he closed his eyes.  
  
There was a sound, of Nagisa pulling back the safety.  
  
Makoto squished his eyes closed, “Please just, please let me come home, okay? I won’t tell anyone… I just want to come home. I’m, scared…”  
  
Rei looked at Nagisa, who gave him a nod. He pushed a button and cleared his throat, “That was… beautiful,” he whispered.  
  
“Yeah, Mako-chan’s a good actor!” Nagisa plopped himself back in the brunet’s lap, nuzzling the underside of his chin.  
  
Makoto felt his cheeks warm and he watched Rei turn to leave. Such a dramatic change made him breathe a sigh of relief. “So, um… you guys were telling the truth, right? That if he doesn’t put his name on the ballot, then you guys won’t cause any trouble, you’ll let me go?”  
  
Rei nodded, “We can’t accommodate you forever, and there’s nothing to gain in shooting you if we get what we want. Then he’d just put his name on the next election’s ballot to spite us.”  
  
Nagisa pouted, “You’re not enjoying your time with us?”  
  
“N-no,” Makoto looked down, “I am, I am.”  
  
Nagisa grinned.  
  
Rei took the tripod and turned around. He opened the door and walked through it, leaving the two alone in the room.  
  
“So,” Makoto pursed his lips, looking at the blond who was cuddling up in his chest. His cheeks were warm, burning even, and he knew he was blushing. “So,” he repeated, “Are you going to untie me…?”  
  
“Hmmmmmmm,” Nagisa tilted his head, slipping his arms around Makoto’s neck. “I’m not sure, Mako-chan… maybe I will, maybe I won’t. I don’t know, I kinda like spending time with you. We’re bonding!” Nagisa’s legs moved.  
  
The next thing Makoto knew was that Nagisa was sitting right on his crotch, straddling him cowgirl-style. He could feel the outline of Nagisa’s rump through his pants and he blushed.  
  
“Why are you so flustered?” Nagisa tilted his head, playfully poking Makoto’s red cheeks.  
  
“Ah, it’s just, nothing…”  
  
“Nothing? I don’t think it’s nothing, Mako-chan!”  
  
“It’s just, um…” Makoto’s eyes suddenly widened in fear.  
  
“What is it Mako-cha-,” Nagisa had a little pause before he looked down. Grinning wickedly, he looked up again, “You’re hard!”  
  
“S-sorry…”  
  
“Did I get you hard?”  
  
“Um… yes…”  
  
“Why’s that?”  
  
“I’m not used to being this close to someone,” Makoto squished his eyes closed, cheeks red with his embarrassment. “And you’re just, really… pretty, okay?”  
  
Nagisa blinked, “Pretty?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Nagisa stared at Makoto and paused. Rin always called him ‘Sexy’; Haruka always called him ‘Hot’; Rei always called him ‘Beautiful’, but it was said in the same lusty breath that the two others would say it in. There was something… warm and nice about the way Makoto said it, and Nagisa felt his heart beat faster in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He chuckled and wiggled his hips over Makoto’s erection.  
  
“Ah,” the brunet gasped.  
  
“Awww, are you a virgin?”  
  
“Um, yeah…” Makoto opened his eyes and looked away, “Haven’t even… had my first kiss before.”  
  
Nagisa stopped, blinking. “Is this… okay, then? I mean, I usually take what I want, but…”  
  
“Yeah, I think.”  
  
“You think?”  
  
“I think…” Makoto looked into Nagisa’s dark pink eyes and chuckled, “You’re really something. I don’t know, you’re special. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever, met before… probably unlike anyone I will ever meet again. So, I guess it’s okay if, maybe if you wanted… you could um, you know…” he muttered something.  
  
“If I could?” Nagisa blinked, “Did you say, ‘kiss me’?”  
  
Makoto broke eye contact and pursed his lips, ignoring the heat of his cheeks as he gave a small nod.  
  
Nagisa chuckled, smiling. “You really wouldn’t mind giving your first kiss to some random kidnapper who likes pointing a gun to you?”  
  
“Well, I don’t know…” Makoto shrugged, “I just… You’re nice.”  
  
Nagisa was giggling wildly and he rotated his hips, grinding his bottom against the erection in Makoto’s pants. He watched the brunet squirm and he happily cupped Makoto’s face with both hands, “Just relax, okay Mako-chan?”  
  
“Okay,” Makoto closed his eyes.  
  
Nagisa leaned in, letting his eyes slide shut, until his lips pressed against Mako-chan’s. He kissed slowly, moving his lips against the other’s carefully, gently, as if he didn’t want to scare him off.  
  
Makoto felt his cheeks hit their highest redness as he kissed back. The feeling of someone else’s wet lips against his own was… nice. He kissed back, not sure what he was doing. He was mesmerised by the motions of Nagisa’s lips over his that nothing else mattered. He didn’t even notice that the tent in his pants slowly went down as all sexual, inappropriate thoughts were washed away by fascination, fascination for just how _sweet_ it felt.  
  
Nagisa felt the boner beneath his butt die down and at first he was worried he did something wrong, but from how Makoto’s lips were moving against his, he knew that Mako-chan was still into it. The kiss was just taking another turn than he expected. It was so unlike the kisses that Haruka or Rin gave him--those were fuelled by lusty desire, but not this one. Slow, gentle, careful… Makoto’s movements tasted of inexperience, and there was something adorable about that. Nagisa suddenly smiled, breaking the kiss, but leaving their lips still barely touching. He kept his eyes closed, arms around Makoto’s neck.  
  
“Wow,” Makoto’s voice breathy, exhausted.  
  
The feeling of Makoto’s warm breath against his wet lips tingled and Nagisa giggled. “Did you enjoy it?” Dark pink eyes opened.  
  
Makoto opened his own eyes and nodded, “Yeah… that was, something else.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and kissed the brunet’s cheeks. Leaning forward, his hands moved to the ropes holding Makoto’s own hands together and he slowly undid the knot.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“So polite,” Nagisa pulled the rope and let it fall to the floor.  
  
Makoto brought his arms forward and rubbed his wrists. His green eyes looked into dark pink and he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around the blond, pulling him closer. His blush had mostly died down, but there was still a touch of red in each cheek.  
  
Nagisa felt his own cheeks turn a light pink and he smiled. “Hey, Mako-chan…”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I think…”  
  
“You think?”  
  
“I think,” Nagisa said in a teasing voice, “You’re a nice person.”  
  
Makoto blinked, smiling. “I think you’re a nice person too.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Even after I tied you up?”  
  
“Well, you untied me, so it makes it even.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled, giving a playful shrug. “I think Mako-chan’s too trusting for his own good, but,” he said as he leaned in, giving a little, chaste kiss to the brunet, “I think that’s one of his good traits. Good for me, at least.”  
  
“Lucky you,” Makoto said with a smile as he leaned in, pressing their lips together once again. His eyes closed and he let his hands move around Nagisa, until they docked at his hips.  
  
Nagisa kissed back and felt a little playful. His own hands moved back and gently took Makoto’s wrists. He pushed them down, until they were over his ass, and he smirked into the kiss.  
  
Makoto broke the kiss and chuckled, “You’ve really got a one track mind.”  
  
Nagisa nuzzled Makoto’s cheek, taking in the scent of the man. “Is that a bad thing, Mako-chan?”  
  
“Not at all,” he whispered before he pushed his lips to the blond’s.  
  
The kiss turned chaste as Nagisa heard the door open. He looked behind him and saw Haruka. He blinked twice and chuckled, “Haru-chan! I stole your husband’s first kiss!”  
  
“Okay,” Haruka nodded sagely, “Good.”  
  
“Good?”  
  
“Pressure’s off,” Haruka muttered before stepping in. “One of the juniors needs to speak to you.”  
  
“Hmmm,” Nagisa pouted, and then sighed. “Fine, I’ll be there in a moment.” He turned back to Makoto and looked into his green eyes, admiring the colour and the brightness. “I’m sorry Mako-chan, but I’ll come see you later okay?”  
  
“Oh-okay,” Makoto blinked. His hands moved away and he felt Nagisa slip off his lap. He almost missed the weight and warmth and sweet smell that blond gave, but he reminded himself that said blond was the ‘crazy one’, after all.  
  
Nagisa walked up to Haruka and looked back. “Mako-chan,” he smiled, “Bye-bye!”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard. It was the second time he’d heard Nagisa say ‘Bye-bye!’ like that, so adorable and just…  
  
Nagisa turned to Haruka and motioned to the brunet sitting in the chair. “You can take your hubby to his room, just make sure to lock the door behind you when you go.”  
  
Haruka nodded.

  
~ ~ ~

  
As they were walking down the hall, Makoto looked around. Haruka was leading and he followed, like a puppy. Haruka didn’t strike him as the smartest of the group (while he didn’t seem dumb, it sort of felt like he wasn’t all there…), but Makoto knew he couldn’t take the chance for a run for it. As they walked, he brought a hand up to his lips, feeling the wetness from his kiss with Nagisa. Smiling, he felt his cheeks warm.  
  
Haruka stopped abruptly and turned. He opened the door to Makoto’s temporary room.  
  
“Thanks,” Makoto nodded before stepping inside. He went to his bed and took a seat. He looked up to see Haruka in his room and he heard the door closing, then locked. “Do you need something?--Not that I don’t want you here, you can stay if you want… wouldn’t mind company.”  
  
Haruka nodded slowly and crossed the room. He took a seat on the bed next to Makoto and looked up at him. There was a pained reaction, as if he was about to do something he didn’t usually do. “Um… how are you?”  
  
“Uh?” Makoto blinked. That wasn’t what he was expecting… at all… “I’m okay, I guess, why?”  
  
“Rin said that if we leave a hostage near Nagisa too often, they go crazy,” Haruka muttered, “You look okay… but figured I should ask.”  
  
“I’m okay,” Makoto nodded and offered a smile, “Thanks.”  
  
Haruka only nodded in response.  
  
“Um… can I ask you something?”  
  
“About our wedding?”  
  
Makoto chuckled, “No, not about that…” _Ah, he really doesn’t give up, huh?_ he thought to himself as he smiled. “It’s about Nagisa.”  
  
“What do you want to know?”  
  
“You said… hostages around Nagisa go crazy?”  
  
“He plays mind games with them.”  
  
“ _Oh…_ ” Makoto muttered, looking down.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Does he…” Makoto pursed his lips, “Does he kiss them when he plays mind games?”  
  
“No,” Haruka said simply. “Mind games usually involve screaming, bleeding, crying… Only plays mind games on the ones that don’t cooperate. If he kissed you it was probably because he wanted to.”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto’s eyebrows raised and he smiled, “Um…” His expression suddenly fell, “You don’t mind, right? That I kissed Nagisa… since, we’re going to get married…”  
  
Haruka smiled.  
  
Makoto silently wondered if it was the first time he’d ever seen Haruka smile.  
  
“I… should say,” Haruka looked down, “Marriage to me won’t be, traditional. I became a senior member because Rin took interest me. We became good friends, ended up in bed together a lot. It was… odd, but comforting, I think. Sex, without strings, meaningless, fun. I kill, for a living, and it’s a type of release. After that, Rin started training me, teaching me things, what to do on missions. Eventually, I became a senior. That’s when I started sleeping with Nagisa as well.”  
  
Makoto blinked.  
  
“I’m not sure but I think that’s how he keeps our loyalty…” Haruka looked up, “Nagisa and I are very affectionate to each other. So are Rin and I. Rin and Nagisa, and Rei and Nagisa… It’s a weird web…” He rubbed his jaw, not used to talking so much, “I’m not sure what I’m saying, but when we get married, you won’t be the only person I’m with. You can have people on the side too. If you want Nagisa, that’s fine.”  
  
Makoto raised an eyebrow, no idea what he was supposed to say.  
  
“Anyway,” Haruka turned his head, facing the brunet. He didn’t say anything else, just leaned in and pushed his lips against Makoto’s cheek. Getting up, he made his way to the door and left the room quietly.  
  
Makoto looked at the door that closed and only one word left his lips: “What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Haruka monologue. THAT was tough. It was originally three paragraphs and I just tried to trim it down, cut it down, make it more 'Haruka'. From where it started to where it is now, I'm proud of it. I think I made it a _lot_ more in character, but I admit it could probably use some work. I think I sealed my fate when I decided for Haru to have a monologue, though. XD


	6. Part 5: Boring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for taking so long with this upload, but here it is at last, much longer than I expected it would be. Oh well. I also must say that writing AU's is kind of awesome because you really think have to think up some unique perspective. For example, Rei being the second oldest (and having little respect for Rin), he's not all "HARUKA-SENPAI! MAKOTO-SENPAI! RIN-CHAN-SAN!" as he is in the anime. I admit, for that reason, it's harder to write him, too. XD
> 
> Oh well, this chapter is dedicated to Frogslay~!

The four senior officers sat around the table in their lounge. Rin leaned back on the sofa, while Haruka sat across from him in a neutral pose. Rei sat between them with his arms crossed while Nagisa sat across Rei, with his feet up on the table.  
  
“So,” Nagisa tilted his head ever-so-slightly and offered a smile. “What’s the point of the meeting?”  
  
“We have received word from Yamato Tachibana, as I expected,” Rei pushed up his glasses. “It has been over a week since we sent the video and our proof of having his nephew. So far, no one in the police force has been contacted, and the police believe that the security guard, shot by Nitori and removed from the scene of the crime, is responsible for apprehending Makoto Tachibana. His body has not been found in the river where Haruka and Rin dumped him, in pieces.”  
  
“Wow,” Nagisa nodded, “We did _really_ good.”  
  
“Excellence is a part of our record,” Rei noted with a smile, “But even I must admit this is even better than how we usually deal with our missions.”  
  
“Well, great,” Rin threw his hands in the air, flashing his shark teeth. “So we did a mission from Yakuza perfectly, but it’s not over yet. What did Tachibana say?”  
  
Rei pulled out the letter from his coat pocket and unfolded it. Clearing his throat, he adjusted his glasses before reading: “I am writing this letter to inform you that I have received your message and I understand the gravity of my decision. I must say, however, that I am unsure as to what I should do. I am still deciding. I have told no one about this, as I understand what you will do to my dear nephew if I do. I have until the 20th of this month to pull my name from the ballot, and you will have my decision by the 15th. As for the hostage, my nephew, please take good care of him. I will pay you for his well being. Thank you, Yamato Tachibana.”  
  
Rin pursed his lips.  
  
Rei folded up the paper and put it back in his coat pocket. “That gives him little less than a week to make his decision, which I believe is a fine time to wait for it.”  
  
“If he’s making one,” Rin sighed, “He could just be buying time to try to find where we are.”  
  
“True,” Nagisa nodded.  
  
“Doesn’t matter,” Haruka muttered. He noticed everyone looking at him so he shrugged, “If he can find our hideout in less than two weeks, we deserve to be scrapped.”  
  
“Yay Haru-chan!” Nagisa grinned, “He’s good at this officer stuff!”  
  
Rin snorted.  
  
Rei smirked, “They will not find us. I’ve taken good measures to make sure we are untraceable, after all.”  
  
“Then that’s that,” Rin shrugged. “What else?”  
  
“Something bothers me, though,” Nagisa crossed his legs and tapped his chin with his index finger.  
  
Rei blinked, “You think something is off? Enlighten me.”  
  
“It’s just… How much money does this guy have? He wants to pay us for Mako-chan’s well being, but he’s just some small-time political figure in the middle of nowhere. He’s got so many security guards, and you guys saw the size of his massive mansion… and it was state of the art, too, and Rei-chan, you noted how many renovations he’s had in the past twenty years… It just feels like it doesn’t add up.”  
  
Rin pursed his lips as he thought about it. “Okay so some politician is corrupted, what’s the big deal?”  
  
“But,” Haruka muttered, “He wants to up police enforcement, crack down on illegal activities…”  
  
Rei’s eyebrows raised and he nodded slowly. “I will find out his income and expenses, crunch numbers. I could possibly figure out what’s going on here.”  
  
“What does it matter?” Rin frowned, “His name’s off the ballot, Makoto goes back, all of us move on.”  
  
Nagisa shrugged, “Never know when a troublemaker comes back, right?”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, then sighed. “Guess you’re right.”  
  
Haruka looked at Rei. “Nitori, get him to help you.”  
  
Rei nodded, “He will be a good asset to the case.”  
  
Nagisa smiled, “Goodie! Teamwork! Meanwhile, I’ll talk to Mako-chan; maybe he has some information for us?”  
  
Haruka nodded, “And I should get my underwater blowjob soon.”  
  
“Ah,” Rei’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink, “I said that… didn’t I?”  
  
Haruka nodded again.  
  
Rin smirked, “Can I watch?”  
  
“No!” Rei frowned, “Voyeurism is not beautiful!”  
  
“But it is sexy…” Nagisa pointed out.  
  
Rei shook his head. “No! Voyeurism forces the moment that should have been between two people into a moment that is between three people! While that increases the beauty of the moment by fifteen percent, it reduces individual beauty from fifty percent to thirty-eight point three-three-three repeating! Thus, reducing beauty by eleven point six-six-six repeating!”  
  
“…”  
  
Rei cleared his throat, looking at Rin.  
  
Rin blinked twice, “Man, I doubt I could keep a boner around you anyway.”  
  
Rei gasped.  
  
“You’re too boring!”  
  
Nagisa burst into laughter and hugged his chest as he wiggled in his seat.

  
~ ~ ~

  
An hour or two passed since the meeting and Rei was at his desk, with Nitori sitting at the other side. He glanced at the papers in front of him, then to his laptop and frowned. “Hmmm,” he muttered, not sure what was bothering him, but something was indeed off.  
  
“Um, Ryugazaki-san…” Nitori looked up for a moment, “Can I… ask you something?”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses and nodded, “Of course. Is it about Rin?”  
  
“A-ah…” Nitori’s cheeks warmed.  
  
‘ _Bingo_ ’ Rei thought to himself with a little smile. “You have some feelings for him, don’t you?”  
  
Nitori pursed his lips before giving a little nod, “I… think so, I’m not, not sure, but…”  
  
“Very well,” Rei nodded, “What is your question?”  
  
“Well, what’s he like? I mean… he’s not the nicest guy, and he can even be an asshole sometimes, but… every once in a while he says these really sweet things to me, just me… Like when he says ‘Good job’ or ‘Nice shot’, and he really means it too, but it just seems so… unlike him.” Nitori pursed his lips, “I’m just, not sure who he really is? Is he the asshole he tends to be, or is that just a surface?”  
  
Rei blinked, wondering what to say. He tapped a finger over his chin and sighed, “I’m afraid I’m not the best person to ask for that… but I do agree with you. He does have a face he puts on, perhaps when he’s being professional, though I wouldn’t dare call said face professional. It is in our human nature to have different ‘selves’ though. How one would talk to their grand-parents is different than how they would talk with their friends. Perhaps he just wants to talk to you in a way different from how he talks to us. Perhaps that is the sweeter side of him you see… though, again, I don’t know him that well and he doesn’t tell me anything.”  
  
“Oh…”  
  
Rei suddenly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, frowning. “I’m too ‘boring’ apparently!”  
  
“I…” Nitori chuckled, “I doubt you’re boring.”  
  
Rei blinked, giving a soft smile. “I think I know why Haruka likes having you around.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
Nitori blinked. “But um, what should I do? About Rin, I mean?—I want to ask Nagisa-sama, but I think he would just laugh at me… and tell me not to call him ‘-sama’, again.”  
  
Rei thought about it before giving a little smile, “You’re right… Nagisa would find it funny, but he probably would have good information.”  
  
“Please don’t ask him!” Nitori felt his cheeks turn pink.  
  
“I won’t,” Rei nodded, “Because I already know what he would say. I do have a plan, if you are interested…” Leaning in, he whispered something in Nitori’s ear.  
  
Cheeks turning bright red, he nodded slowly, “Oh… Okay!”

  
~ ~ ~

  
It was behind the cluster house that Iwatobi used for their headquarters; Rin’s mouth moved over Haruka’s neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses and nips with the occasional grate of sharp teeth. His hands roamed Haruka’s body, grabbing his hips and grinding himself against the other. After a moment, Rin pulled away and frowned. He looked into the teen’s ocean blue eyes and moved away. “What’s wrong? You don’t, seem into it…”  
  
Haruka merely shrugged. It felt good, but… “I don’t think I’m the one you want to be doing this with.” As soon as he said it, his lips curved into a smile, knowing smile.  
  
Rin growled and crossed his arms. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”  
  
“Kinda obvious.”  
  
“No, no it’s not,” Rin looked away, “No idea what you’re talking about.”  
  
“Nitori.”  
  
“N-no!” Rin shouted.  
  
Haruka blinked, “Did you just stutter?”  
  
“No!” Rin realised he _did_ stutter but he would never admit it. He kept frowning, “Look, Haru… I’m just, I mean… He’s cute and all, but it doesn’t go past that for me. I just,” his voice lowered, to a whisper, “I don’t want to disappoint him, or lead him on. I don’t want to make him think I can do more than just fuck him.”  
  
“But he’s got a tight ass,” Haruka pointed out, “And he wants you.”  
  
“No, he doesn’t want me, he _likes_ me.”  
  
“Same thing.”  
  
“No, not at all you fucking idiot!”  
  
Haruka rolled his eyes.  
  
Rin opened his mouth, but a sudden beep made him look down. Reaching a hand into his pocket, he grabbed his phone and flipped it open. “A text, from Ai…” He blinked, “He wants me to go to the senior lounge? Sure, I guess.”  
  
Haruka felt a vibration in his pants and he grabbed his own phone, flipping it open as well. “Rei just messaged me: Don’t go to the senior lounge, putting Nitori and Rin together.”  
  
“Wh- _what_?” Rin shouted in disbelief.  
  
Haruka smirked and grabbed Rin’s arm, pulling him along.  
  
“No! No, Haruka!”  
  
“Shhh, just come.”  
  
“No! I’m scared!”  
  
“Cute.”  
  
“Haru!”

  
~ ~ ~

  
The door to the senior lounge opened and Haruka practically shoved Rin inside.  
  
Rin staggered as he tried to balance himself, but his eyes went wide at what was in front of him.  
  
Sitting on one of the sofas, Rei sat at the end facing the door. In his lap was Nitori, completely naked, cheeks red, blushing, hard.  
  
Rin swallowed hard and looked at Rei, “Hands off!”  
  
“You should say ‘Thank you’,” Rei said with a teasing smile, “I’ve prepared him for you.”  
  
“Wha-whaaa-what?”  
  
Nitori felt his cheeks burn, but he opened his eyes. “Rin…”  
  
“Ai…” Rin gulped loudly and his own cheeks began to turn red.  
  
Nitori looked at the other and took a deep breath. “Um, it’s up to you… but, if you want… you can, touch me… and, kiss me… and… um, f-fuck me…”  
  
Haruka stepped in the room and gave Rin another shove forward.  
  
Rin gulped as he slowly started walking to the sofa. His eyes moved up to Rei for a moment, then back down to Nitori. Slowly, he moved onto the couch, making his way forward. His hands were shaking and he bit his lower lip.  
  
Nitori’s eyes moved to the sight of those sharp teeth and his cheeks flushed.  
  
“Is… this okay?” Rin asked, “I mean… this is what you want? It’s not because of rank? Nobody… put you up to this, did they?”  
  
“I want this,” Nitori answered simply.  
  
Rin swallowed hard.  
  
Nitori leaned forward, slipping his arms around the redhead’s neck and pulling himself closer.  
  
Rin instantly moved his own arms around Nitori’s waist, feeling how soft the skin was, softer than even Nagisa’s. “O-okay,” he stuttered, knowing his cheeks were probably as red as the other’s.  
  
Nitori leaned in and softly pressed their lips together, closing his eyes as he focused on the kiss.  
  
Rin felt his grip on Nitori loosen, as if his limbs were turning to jelly. He leaned forward and soon pushed Nitori against the couch. He silently wondered where the hell Rei went, but figured it was part of the plan…

  
~ ~ ~

  
Rei had managed to slip out of the room and he crossed his arms, looking at Haruka with a content smile. “I say that’s a mission accomplished, well thought through and executed perfectly.” He brought one hand up and adjusted his glasses, “Naturally, of course.”  
  
“Weird,” Haruka muttered, “Never seen Rin… hesitate that much.”  
  
Rei gave a small nod as he stared at the closed door leading to the senior lounge. “I can’t say I have, either, but I hope the two of them fornicate.”  
  
Haruka looked at the door and nodded. “I do too. That was hot,” he muttered, “Got me hard.”  
  
Rei raised an eyebrow knowingly.  
  
Haruka turned his head, making eye contact. “Perfect for an underwater blowjob that you still owe me.”  
  
“Very well.”  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow, “Really?”  
  
“I said I would, didn’t I?”  
  
“Yeah, I just,” he trailed off and gave a little shrug, “Didn’t think you would go through with it.”  
  
Rei smiled and raised his head, “I’ve studied all the theories of performing oral sex in an aquatic environment, and I admit it will be a challenge, due to the limitations of oxygen as well as the velocity of the water, but I said I would and I will. Not to mention… studying the theories were somewhat… exciting.”  
  
Haruka only had one question after that: “Where?”

  
~ ~ ~

  
All the while, Makoto was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He gave a little sigh and waited. Eventually, he heard two knocks on the door and got up.  
  
The door opened and Kou stepped out. She offered a smile and looked at him, “I heard the water stopped working in your bathroom?”  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto scratched the back of his head. “It’s sort of hard to take a shower without one, and I was wondering if I could use another room’s?”  
  
Kou’s eyes lit up with the possibility of seeing Makoto’s muscles, “O-of course. This place used to be a residence, so we have many extras. Though Nagisa asked me to make sure you use the best one.”  
  
Makoto slipped off the bed and offered a smile.

  
~ ~ ~

  
Back in the senior lounge, Rin’s clothes had been violently thrown to the floor, discarded uncaringly. His mouth moved over Nitori’s neck, kissing it gently, softly.  
  
“R-Rin!”  
  
“Ai,” he whispered, “If it hurts, I want you to tell m—”  
  
“Fuck me,” Nitori whimpered, “Please, R-Rin, please just do it.” His cheeks burned, having never been so forward before. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, “Please.”  
  
Feeling heat flash throughout his body, Rin pursed his lips and nodded. “Alright,” he whispered before moving a hand down. He grabbed his manhood, fully aroused and begging for attention, and moved the hood back, exposing the pink head. He pushed the head against Nitori’s entrance. He looked up to ask if he was ready, but the look on Nitori’s face said all that needed to be said. Leaning in to push their lips together, he pushed the head in.  
  
Nitori gasped; he let himself melt into the kiss, feeling Rin’s lips against his own.  
  
Rin kissed back as he slowly pushed another inch inside Nitori, carefully. He felt the tight heat around his cock and he moved an arm around Nitori, pulling him closer.  
  
“Rin,” he broke the kiss to gasp, “More… You don’t, have to be so,” he gasped, “Slow, just, put it in, all of it.”  
  
Rin felt his cheeks burn and he gave a slow nod, pushing in the rest of his cock, inch by inch. He heard Nitori moan and a shiver ran down his spine. “I have to be careful,” Rin muttered, “I don’t… want to hurt you.”  
  
Nitori swallowed hard and looked up at the redhead. Slowly, he moved a hand down and started stroking himself. “Rin,” he whispered as he closed his eyes. His hand moved over his hard length, moving the skin up and down, breathing becoming deeper.  
  
Rin bit his lower lip with his sharp teeth. The sight beneath him, of Aiichiro touching himself, made his cock twitch deep inside the grey haired teen and he moaned. He moved his hips forward, until the base of his cock pushed up against Nitori’s cheeks and he leaned forward, “Ai…” His voice was shaking and full of desire as he kissed Nitori’s neck once again, “Ai…”  
  
“Rin,” Nitori replied, keeping his blue eyes closed as his cheeks burned red.

  
~ ~ ~

  
Although everyone referred to it as a bathtub, that wasn’t quite right. It was closer to a whirlpool bath or a hot tub. Being large enough to accommodate several people, it had seats and a few jets as well. It was installed when the building was used as a brothel, and wasn’t used very often though it was kept clean for whenever Nagisa wanted a bubble bath party.  
  
Haruka snickered at the memory of the last time they had one of those and watched as Rei filled the tub. Haruka slowly peeled off his clothes, bit by bit. Usually he’d throw them all to the side in one blur, but he figured he’d have to wait for the water to be full.  
  
It was teasing him, the hot water.  
  
He stripped himself nude then crossed his arms. His toes curled and extended as he subconsciously began tapping his foot on the ground.  
  
“You really are impatient,” Rei said with a smile.  
  
“When it comes to water, yes.”  
  
Rei moved away from the tap and motioned with his head. “You can get comfortable inside.”  
  
Within half a second, Haruka was already completely submerged in the hot tub. He felt the water move around his skin and he surfaced for air. Taking a deep, relaxing breath, he took a seat on the little inclined area and rested his arms along the white rim of the tub. He had a perfect view of the door and Rei, who was stripping.  
  
Peeling off layer by layer, Rei organised his clothing in a neat little pile before he removed his glasses. He placed it on the counter and turned to Haruka. Slowly, he stepped into the hot tub, watching his step as he felt the warmth of the water. He eventually moved near the centre of the tub and dove his head in, wetting his hair. He moved back up and used a thumb to move hair out of his eyes. He crossed the distance between them until their lips were only centimetres away.  
  
Haruka stayed expressionless as he felt Rei’s lips tenderly on his. He closed his eyes, focusing on the short kiss as he felt Rei’s hands over his shoulder. He felt a shiver move through his body and gasped when Rei’s lips moved away. A rare chuckle left his lips as he opened his ocean blue eyes. “I thought you would be the type to get right into it.”  
  
Rei moved his hands down under the water, over Haruka’s muscles as his eyes looked up. “Foreplay is essential for sexual acts to feel complete.”  
  
“Is that another theory?”  
  
Rei chuckled and brought their lips together for a short moment, “No.” He moved his lips to Haruka’s ear, gently moving his lower lip to barely touch the upper rim, “Just personal taste.”  
  
Haruka felt his whole body shudder and his skin tingle, rising with goosebumps. He swallowed and sunk lower into the warm water.  
  
Rei moved his mouth to Haruka’s neck.  
  
“Ah,” Haruka closed his eyes slowly. The warm feeling of Rei’s mouth tenderly kissing his neck and the hands moving around his body was all he needed to get hard. He felt one of Rei’s hands cup his ass and give a little squeeze. His eyes jolted open in mild surprise, and he gave a small smile. Wrapping his own arms around Rei’s neck, he raised his knees. His legs floated up in the water and he pushed his feet against Rei’s hips, moving them slowly, teasingly, down Rei’s thigh. “Never thought you’d be so,” he closed his eyes and shuddered a moan, “Exciting, to be with.”  
  
“Likewise,” Rei murmured against Haruka’s neck with a smile.  
  
Haruka shivered as he felt the hot, warm breath against his wet neck. Giving another moan, he knew this was going to be good.

  
~ ~ ~

  
“Nitori,” Rin gasped as his hips moved, thrusting in and out of smaller body.  
  
Nitori gasped, looking up into Rin’s red eyes and he gasped. Crying out, loudly, he continued stroking himself as Rin’s hard cock moved inside him. He felt his knees tingle and shake and he wrapped them around Rin’s waist as he cried out, wanting more. “Ah,” he whimpered as he felt something inside him, “There! Right there...”  
  
Rin moved slightly, repositioning himself on the couch so he could thrust against that spot.  
  
“Ah!”  
  
Rin felt the tight walls squeeze around him and he closed his eyes, grunting out of desire. He continued rocking his hips, moving in and out of Nitori’s body. “Ai,” he breathed, not knowing why he was saying it. “Ai,” he whispered, just wanting to _say_ the name.  
  
“Rin, faster,” he breathed.  
  
Rin began to speed up and gasped as the warm heat moved over his cock. He continued to aim for that spot inside Nitori and felt his throat tighten as he tried to fight back a moan.  
  
Nitori felt his body heat up and he bit his lower lip, continuing to stroke himself as Rin moved inside him. He moaned, loudly, and wrapped an arm around Rin’s neck, pulling him in. He pushed their lips together and opened his mouth.  
  
Rin moved his tongue inside Nitori’s mouth, with a mix of force and gentleness. He wanted to claim Nitori’s mouth as his own, but he was careful not to let Nitori’s tongue near his sharp teeth. He didn’t want the teen to be hurt in any way.  
  
Nitori made a lusty noise into the kiss, muffling it as he slid his tongue against Rin’s.  
  
Rin’s hands moved, grabbing the other’s hips, so he could keep thrusting into the warm heat.  
  
Nitori broke the kiss, having to give voice to the pleasure inside him. He panted, moaning, breathing rate rising as he felt his body flush from heat. “Rin,” he whimpered, “Rin.”  
  
Rin continued moving his hips, “Ai.” Damnit, he loved hearing the sound of his name: Every time Nitori said it, he felt like he was going to lose it. The needy tone, the desperate voice… it made his skin ripple and his toes curled as he continued thrusting, “Keep saying it,” he almost begged, “Keep saying it.”  
  
“Rin,” Nitori looked up, making eye contact again, “Rin.”

  
~ ~ ~

  
The door opened but Haruka didn’t mind. Even so, his ocean blue eyes opened as he saw two people staring at them. One was Kou, the other was Makoto. He didn’t really care, so he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. In the hot tub, he was floating in the shape of a star while Rei’s head was over his crotch. He felt Rei move down and his hips were submerged under water; Rei’s mouth was over his cock while his fingers groped his ass. He let out another sound and he stretched his fingers in delight.  
  
“Ah,” Kou’s cheeks went red, “M-m…”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard and he put his hands over his face, “S-sorry, we just wanted to use one of the spare bathrooms!”  
  
“It’s fine,” Haruka muttered, more focused on other things.  
  
Makoto moved two fingers enough so that he could peek. He silently gasped as he saw Haruka’s body, besides the cock in Rei’s mouth. He saw the teen’s figure, his form, full frontal nudity.  
  
“Muscles!” Kou whispered to herself before turning around and running away in shame.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard, “Sorry!”  
  
“Avoid the senior lounge,” Haruka called out as he closed his eyes. He slipped one hand in Rei’s hair, feeling the soft, wet, dampness of each strand.  
  
Rei raised Haruka’s hips and slipped the cock out of his mouth and sucked in a large volume of air.  
  
The door closed with a hasty slam.  
  
Rei took in a large breath through his nose and pushed the cock back in his mouth as he moved down, under the water. Submerged, he bobbed his head on the length. One hand holding Haruka’s ass, the other held the manhood in place so he could move his mouth over it with ease. As the theories said, he didn’t attempt to ‘suck’ on the cock, as that might cause him to choke, nor did he attempt to deep throat in fear of his gag reflex. While options were limited on what he could do, he continued to use his lips and swirl his tongue around the head of the member.  
  
Haruka gasped sharply as his hips moved ever so softly into Rei’s mouth, then back out. He was gentle with his thrusts, and his toes curled. The feeling of being in water, having his hips submerged and the surface of the water lick at his chest, all of it was every bit as amazing as it usually was, but to have the attention on his cock at the same time made him shiver.  
  
Rei moved up again, using his nose to take in air while the cock stayed in his mouth. He went back down again once more and continued to do as he did before.  
  
“Shit,” Haruka hissed as he bit his lip. “Rei… I think I’m going to…”

  
~ ~ ~

  
Rin had moved his hand to Nitori’s cock, stroking him in rhythm to his thrusts as he aimed for the sweet spot inside Nitori.  
  
The grey haired teen brought his arms over his chest as he looked up, “Rin… Rin,” he let out another cry as he felt the manhood move inside him. His eyes looked into Rin’s red ones and he felt his cheeks burn. “Faster, please.”  
  
“Sure,” Rin whispered as his thrusts sped up, “Anything, Ai.”  
  
Nitori’s legs moved around Rin’s waist, pulling him closer every time he was thrusted into. He tried to fight back a moan and his neck became red from it; eventually, he couldn’t fight it anymore and he cried out shamelessly.  
  
Rin squeezed Nitori’s cock as he continued to stroke him, “Fuck.”  
  
Nitori felt his knees wiggle and his cheeks burn, “Please, harder…. Rin, I… I’m going to… I think I’m gonna…”  
  
Rin pushed his mouth against Nitori’s ear, “Me too.”  
  
Feeling Rin’s hot breath tingle his ear, Nitori felt his breath quicken and he brought his arms around Rin’s neck. Panting furiously, his knees raised and hugged the sides of Rin’s body as he cried out a final time.  
  
Rin felt Nitori’s cock quiver in his hand as the sticky, white, warm fluid shot between their chests and stomachs and he continued thrusting. During Nitori’s climax, he felt the tight walls squeeze his cock and he bit down on Nitori’s shoulder, whole body shaking as he came. Releasing his Nitori’s shoulder from his mouth, he gasped, trying to catch his breath… slowly, he began to relax.  
  
“R-Rin…”

  
~ ~ ~

  
Haruka felt himself flush with pleasure as Rei moved his mouth over his cock. The feeling of the water around him helped as he breathed heavily. “Shit,” Haruka hissed as he bit his lip. “Rei… I think I’m going to…” He gasped as he felt Rei squeeze his ass and he gave a small smile. Running a hand through Rei’s wet hair, he tried to calm his breathing to speak. “Rei, I’m going to… I’m going to cum.”  
  
Rei gave no acknowledgement of Haruka’s words besides a quick upwards glance, making eye contact for a quick moment before he closed his eyes and submerged underwater.  
  
Haruka swallowed hard before letting out another gasp. His toes curled while he moved a hand in Rei’s hair. “Shit, don’t stop.” He felt Rei’s warm mouth around his throbbing cock and he shut his eyes.  
  
Rei continued to bob his head on the cock, quickening his pace as he went.  
  
“F-Fuck,” Haruka squeezed a fistful of Rei’s hair and brought his knees up, out of the water and into the air. He could feel beads of water move down his legs and his toes squeezed tight. He felt his eyes roll to the back of his head and he gasped, as his body surged with pleasure. “Ngh,” he said through gritted teeth. “Ah,” he breathed as he came.  
  
Rei moved his head out of the water before he swallowed Haruka’s load. Slipping the cock out of his mouth, he wiped his lips with his thumb teasingly. “Beautiful.”  
  
Haruka nodded in agreement as his eyes closed.  
  
“Was it as satisfying as you thought it would be?”  
  
“More,” he admitted quietly. After a moment, his eyes opened. “What about you,” his eyes flicked down to Rei’s obvious hardness.  
  
“I can take care of myself,” Rei said as his cheeks flushed slightly.  
  
Haruka said nothing, though it was obvious from his smile…

  
~ ~ ~

  
Rin had his back on the couch, resting his head on the armrest. Curled up between the sofa’s backrest and his chest was Nitori, comfortably laying on him. He breathed slowly, letting his body relax. He slipped an arm around the teen and pulled him up, closer. He nuzzled the tuft of grey hair and took in the other’s scent of shampoo—something tropical—and smiled.  
  
Nitori had the slight fear that his cheeks would stay permanently blushing, but he ignored it for now. He was content where he was, nuzzling into the crook of Rin’s neck. “Wow… that was…”  
  
“Yeah,” Rin smirked as he pushed a gentle kiss to the top of Nitori’s head.  
  
“Oh, Senp—”  
  
“—Rin,” he corrected.  
  
“R-Rin… um, Ryugazaki-san asked me to ask you to apologise for calling him boring if his plan worked.”  
  
“Tsk,” Rin frowned and sighed. “Fine, fine…”


	7. Part 6: Makoto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love writing this fic. It's so crazy and always makes me smile. :D

Again in the senior lounge, there were four people gathered. Rei was at his desk, typing away on his laptop, while Haruka was on his back, lying down on one of the couches, playing with his phone. Rin was sitting on another sofa with an arm hooked around Nitori. Nitori glanced around then looked up at Rin, “So… what do you guys do all day?”  
  
Rin chuckled, “Well, depends on the day. Can’t do anything if there’s nothing to do.”  
  
“Right,” Nitori nodded, “Fair enough.”  
  
“Yeah,” Rin pulled him a bit closer, “Just a quiet day today, it see–”  
  
“Surprise!” Nagisa shouted as he kicked the door open. He jumped in the room and held a yellow envelope in his hand. He threw it on the table and chuckled, “RinRin, Haru-chan! I’ve got a job for you two today. It’s just a simple extortion-gig; you’ll probably be back in a couple hours with loads of cash.”  
  
Haruka stretched an arm and grabbed the envelope. He opened the top and slipped out the files.  
  
Rin sighed, “Anything interesting at least?”  
  
“No,” Haruka muttered as he read the papers.  
  
“Sorry!” Nagisa offered a sweet smile. “It’s just a small job, though. Like I said, you’ll probably be back in a couple hours.”  
  
Rin groaned.  
  
“Nagisa,” Rei looked up from his screen. “About our case with Yamato Tachibana, have you had a chance to talk to the hostage, see if he has any information regarding his uncle’s money?”  
  
“Ah,” Nagisa scratched the back of his head and chuckled, “No, not yet. I went to ask him yesterday, but the water pipes got all messed up and he was asking if he could use another shower. I got Kou to show him another washroom he could use.”  
  
Haruka suddenly snickered loudly.  
  
Rei did his best to hide a small smile.  
  
Nagisa blinked.  
  
Rin looked between the two. “Am I… missing something?”  
  
“No,” Haruka made no attempt to hide the fact it was a clear lie.  
  
“That reminds me,” Rei was all too eager to change the subject, “I’ll have to see about contacting someone, for maintenance on the pipes.”  
  
“Oh,” Nagisa looked at Rei, “Speaking of, do you know when this building’s last had a renovation? I was thinking about Tachibana’s huge residence and kinda figured if he’s keeping his place up to date, maybe we should be doing the same thing too, right?”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses and turned to his laptop. “I don’t believe this building has had any changes before it turned into a brothel.” He clicked several things and then scrolled the mouse wheel, “I’ve made sure it’s had regular touch-ups, fixes, and maintenance checks so it could be safe to be in, but I don’t think it’s had any full renovations in years. Maybe we should be looking into that.”  
  
“Add a swimming pool.”  
  
Rin slapped his hand over his face, “Haruka…”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and turned around, “Don’t think so, Haru.”  
  
Haruka sat up, “We could have pool parties.”  
  
“Oh…” Nagisa thought about it, “Well, I guess, maybe…”  
  
Rei snickered.  
  
Rin sighed, “Couldn’t you suggest something normal?”  
  
“Fine,” Haruka sighed, “Then add a wedding hall.”  
  
“We can’t just add an entire wedding hall!” Rin shouted.  
  
“Why not?” Haruka gave a very slight pout, “Churches do it all the time…”  
  
“Ugh!” Rin groaned.  
  
Nitori tried to hide his chuckle.

  
~ ~ ~

  
Makoto sat on the provided bed and gave a sigh. He scratched his head and looked at the opposite wall. In his room, his holding cell, he really had nothing to do. A junior had checked up on him earlier and asked if he needed anything; he replied by saying he wanted to see Nagisa. He didn’t really think about it when he said it: He just said what he was feeling. Still, he found it a little… strange, that his first thought was Nagisa.  
  
He also wanted to talk to Haruka, the person he was going to marry (apparently), too. Haruka managed to make him smile in an awkward way, not to mention he was cute too and that kiss on the cheek left much to be wanted. But, when asked, somehow Nagisa came to mind first.  
  
“Maybe it’s because he’s the boss,” Makoto reasoned, closing his eyes. “I’m trying to get on his good side?”  
  
Though, he knew that was a load of bullshit. He just enjoyed Nagisa’s company in a way he craved. He silently wondered if the blond would even come, considering he _was_ the boss, probably had a lot of things to do. He gave another sigh and closed his eyes. Resting his chin on one of his hands, he sighed once again. He was bored. Makoto was silently thankful, though, that his worst problem with being kidnapped was boredom. Some people ended up never being found again, others tortured…. while he was getting a unhealthy amount of mac’ and cheese, as well as some fruits on the side, and plenty of time with Nagisa.  
  
He smiled slightly, thinking of the blond.  
  
At first, he’d considered Nagisa to be the ‘Crazy One’ and wanted to be as far away from him as possible… but, as time went on, “I think I…” Makoto’s green eyes slowly widened, “I think I… _like_ him?” He blinked once, twice, three times in the shock of his own revelation and frowned. ‘ _No, I don’t like him… I can’t like him, he’s, well, he’s in illegal trade and he likes shooting people and he’s just… well he’s cute for sure, and has the sweetest smile, and calls me Mako-chan, and…_ ’  
  
“Shit,” Makoto said out loud, then instantly realised what he said. “Sorry,” he said to no one in particular, but it just sort of came out since he said a bad word.  
  
The door opened with a click.  
  
“Mako-chan!”  
  
Makoto turned his head, a huge smile forming on his lips.  
  
Nagisa closed the door behind him and stepped into the room. “How are you?” he asked with a teasing little smile.  
  
“I’m okay,” Makoto couldn’t help but look into those dark pink eyes, “Just a bit bored… if you’re busy with, other stuff, work, you don’t have to…”  
  
“Shush!” Nagisa crossed the distance and pushed a finger on Makoto’s lips, “You technically count as work, and if you’re bored that’s bad.” He pulled his finger away and smiled, “We can’t have that, now can we?”  
  
“Well,” Makoto felt his cheeks turn pink, “It’s up to you…”  
  
“Mako-chan!” Nagisa sighed, “No, no, no! You’re supposed to say ‘No we can’t’!”  
  
“No we can’t,” Makoto chuckled, “Better?”  
  
“Much better!” Nagisa took a seat on Makoto’s lap and smooched his cheek.  
  
Makoto’s cheeks flushed at that.  
  
Nagisa grinned, wiggling in the other’s lap, getting comfortable. “Well, I do have good news for you, though!”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto grinned, “You do?”  
  
“Uhuh!” he nodded, “I got word from your uncle. He sent us a message saying he hasn’t quite decided what he’s gonna do and he’s asked for just under a week to decide what his choice is. Hmm, he says that, but I think we both know what he’s gonna do. He’ll probably take his name off the ballot!”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
Nagisa blinked, noting the change on Makoto’s expression. “But, don’t worry, he asked us to take good care of you in the meantime!” He said it with a bright smile.  
  
“Oh,” Makoto nodded, “I… That’s, that’s good. Good.”  
  
Nagisa looked into those green eyes and tilted his head, “You’re not… happy?”  
  
“It’s not that I’m not happy,” Makoto scratched the back of his head and forced a smile, “It’s just… well, um… If…” He stared into Nagisa’s eyes, “Could I, spend… some more time with you?”  
  
It was Nagisa’s turn to blush as his cheeks turned a light pink. Instantly grinning, he chuckled, “Of course, Mako-chan!” He put his lips against Mako’s cheek, smooching him there, then smooching his lips, then jaw, then cheek again, then nose, then forehead, then other cheek, then lips again, and so on and so forth.  
  
During the assault of smooches, Makoto chuckled and slipped his arms around Nagisa. He gave an airy chuckle, both nervous and embarrassed, but he couldn’t help but smile nonetheless. “I… want to know more, about you, I mean.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled, wrapping his arms around Makoto’s chest and hugging him tight. “I want to know more about you too, you know! So I can only tell you about me, if you do the same!” He tilted his head ever so slightly, and his blond hair moved over his eyes.  
  
Without thinking, Makoto brought one hand up and gently moved the unruly hair out of Nagisa’s dark pink eyes. “Okay,” Makoto smiled softly. He slowly leaned in, softly pushing his lips against Nagisa’s.  
  
Nagisa let his eyes close and he smiled into the kiss, feeling Makoto’s lips on his own. They were less afraid, he noted, and it made him smile even more. He felt Makoto’s hands on his back and a little shudder ran down his spine.  
  
Makoto’s cheeks were burning, but he ignored it. Kissing Nagisa again was as every bit as amazing as he remembered it to be. He was gentle with the way he kissed, moving his lips slowly, carefully. His hands roamed and rubbed against the small of Nagisa’s back.  
  
Eventually, Nagisa moved away and gave a little chuckle. “Mako-chan, I thought we were supposed to be finding out about each other; that’s not how you ask a question!”  
  
Cheeks flushed, Makoto stuttered slightly as he spoke, “Uh, a-actions speak louder than words?”  
  
Nagisa smiled and thought about it, “I guess that’s true. I learned from the kiss that Mako-chan’s adorable.”  
  
“And I learned from the kiss that Nagisa’s an amazing kisser.”  
  
Nagisa laughed and smooched Makoto’s lips lightly. “You always know exactly what to say!” He suddenly leaned in, pressing their mouths together again.  
  
Makoto pulled Nagisa closer and closed his eyes, moaning into the kiss. He felt Nagisa open his mouth and he did the same. Tentatively, he moved his tongue forward and his cheeks burned when he felt another tongue against his.  
  
Nagisa was far too focused on the kiss to even think about anything else. Eyes snapped shut, he moved his arms up, moving them around Makoto’s neck so he could pull himself up, bringing them just that much closer to each other in the kiss. He moved his tongue against Makoto’s and made another little noise in the kiss, feeling no shame for it. He moved his tongue slowly, knowing the kiss was less about sensation as it was about something else that made his heart beat just a little quicker.  
  
Makoto eventually broke the kiss and took a large gasp of air.  
  
“Forgot to breathe?” Nagisa teased with eyes closed, lips only millimetres apart. He could feel Makoto’s warm breath, and how it tingled against his wet lips. Slowly, he brought his hands down and pushed against Makoto’s arm, moving them away. He gave a playful little chuckle and slipped out of Mako’s lap and onto the bed, where he rolled over so he had his back against the wall.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard and moved onto the bed as well, so he was lying on it, facing Nagisa, with not much space between them. His mind was going haywire just thinking about what they could possibly end up doing. Would it be too soon, to…? Especially if… He didn’t know, but he leaned in and gave another small kiss. “Nagisa,” he whispered, “I like being with you.”  
  
Nagisa blushed a bit and bit his lip, looking away before answering. “I like being with you, too…”  
  
“Nagisa,” he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, “I don’t want… to ruin this, but…”  
  
“What is it?” Nagisa smiled.  
  
“Um…”  
  
“Mako-chan?”  
  
“It’s just that….” Makoto went quiet and a silence passed over them.  
  
Nagisa’s smile faded. “Makoto?”  
  
Makoto shuddered, reminding himself that he hated when Nagisa called him ‘Makoto’ instead of ‘Mako-chan’. “It’s just that,” he began slowly, “If… I mean, when this is all over, when my uncle takes his name off the ballot, as he you said he probably would… then, then… I mean, well… what I mean to ask is, will we still be able to spend time together?”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes widened.  
  
After not receiving a reply, Makoto swallowed hard. “What I mean is… if I go back with my uncle, will we be able to see each other again? Is that possible?”  
  
“No,” Nagisa said softly, eyes moving away. He forced a smile as realisation hit and he went quiet for a second. “Sorry, Mako-chan, but spending time with you would be dangerous, considering that would be exposing myself to Yamato Tachibana, and that’s not a risk our organisation should be taking. A risk our organisation will not be taking.”  
  
“Oh…” Makoto replied softly.

  
~ ~ ~

  
Nagisa closed the door behind him, not looking as he put in the pin, causing the door to lock. He blinked his dark pink eyes and looked down the hall. He scratched the bridge of his nose and walked forward. He felt… strange, which wasn’t uncommon, but… He frowned as he walked, not sure where he was going or why. His eyes narrowed as he looked at nothing in particular. He took a deep breath and made an audible noise as he blew out. Shaking his head, he forced himself to smile and walked to the senior lounge.  
  
“Should get my mind off of it,” he muttered quietly.  
  
Nagisa’s hand grabbed the handle of the door and he pushed in. He smiled brightly to greet whoever was in the room, but…  
  
… it was empty.  
  
Nagisa stepped in nonetheless, reminding himself that he sent off Haruka and Rin, and that Rei was dealing with other things, maintenance, renovations. He closed the door behind him and looked around the room. Not knowing what else he should do, he walked towards the couch and took a seat. With a sigh, he brought a hand up and winced. He rubbed his chest, because he felt some tightness inside him. He swallowed hard, eyes looking around the room, trying to find anything to keep his mind preoccupied, but…  
  
“Who cares if Mako-chan goes away?” Nagisa screwed his eyes shut and leaned back against the sofa, “I don’t.”  
  
Opening his pink eyes, he looked up at the ceiling. The tightness in his chest didn’t go away and he found his breathing funny. He took larger breaths, trying to calm himself down, but…  
  
Swallowing hard, he clutched his chest and his hand squeezed, squeezed tight, and his knuckles turned white from the death grip.  
  
“Get a hold of yourself,” he whispered, “He’s just Mako-chan. You can’t throw away Iwatobi for him…” His lips pursed and he shook his head, “Ah, Nagisa… you’re a fucking idiot.”  
  
He frowned, angry with himself, hand opening and the tension releasing from his fingers. “You’re just…. you can’t….” Squishing his eyes closed, he felt moisture between his eyelids and he shook his head in denial. “Stop, don’t cry you… you big dumbass!” He took another deep breath and slowly looked down. Putting his hands on his knees, he felt himself shaking and he tried to fight it.  
  
“He’s just Mako-cha… Makoto,” Nagisa corrected himself. “Makoto,” he said again, not liking the sound of his full name.  
  
No, that wasn’t right: He liked the sound of the name ‘Makoto’, but he just preferred ‘Mako-chan’ to the point where it made him swallow hard and want to reject it. “Makoto. Makoto. Makoto. Makoto… Makoto,” he sighed in defeat, then pursed his lips. “Come on, you lead Iwatobi, you’re not a pansy, okay? Just, just hand him over and everything will be for the best, anyway. It’s good for you,” he muttered, “Very good for you. Getting attached is a shitty idea and you know it.”  
  
That left him with two options.  
  
Nagisa nodded, “So just kill those feelings or kill Makoto.”

  
~ ~ ~

  
Rin stepped out of the vehicle and slammed the car door closed. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pockets. “Get the briefcase, will you?” he muttered before placing the cig between his lips.  
  
“Sure,” Haruka replied.  
  
It was with a spark that a small fire shot out of the cylinder. Rin moved his red hair out of his eyes and brought the lighter to the end of the cigarette. With a small suck, the tip of the cigarette turned red hot and he closed the lighter, stuffing it in his pocket. Pulling the cig out of his mouth, he looked up and blew out a hot cloud of grey smoke into the air. “Ah, nothing like a _fag_ after a _hard_ day of work, right Haru?”  
  
Haruka sighed as he closed the passenger side car door. “I told you before: I want to be an Olympic swimmer. Second hand smoke is bad for my lungs.”  
  
“Swimming,” Rin rolled his eyes, “Somehow always comes back to that…”  
  
Haruka stepped around the vehicle and looked at the building, “I’ll report to Nagisa, you can check in on Nitori if you want.”  
  
Rin groaned, shaking his head. “Look, we’re close but we’re not together.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Rin frowned, “I’m serious.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“Haru!”  
  
“I said ‘Okay’,” Haruka shrugged, “I really don’t care. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”  
  
“Hey!”  
  
Haruka snickered before heading inside.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, whatever!”  
  
Haruka stepped in and left Rin outside to be a grumbling grumpy mess. He headed up the stairs and stepped into the senior lounge. He noticed it was rather empty (which wasn’t surprising since he and Rin were just out), and Nagisa was sitting alone on the couch. “We’re back,” he muttered, walking over to the table. He placed the briefcase on the table and unclipped the fastings. Opening it up, he stepped away.  
  
Nagisa looked at the briefcase before nodding, “Okay.”  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Hey, Haru,” Nagisa looked up and tilted his head ever so slightly. “You know our rules right? When we’re done a mission, we… We don’t deal with people who we don’t have to when the job is done.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“So, how are you planning to marry Makoto if his uncle takes his name off the ballot?”  
  
Haruka blinked twice and he took a seat next to Nagisa. “Oh. I… don’t know.”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded slowly, moving strands of hair out of his eyes. “Me neither, really…”  
  
“Is that…” Haruka glanced to the side, “Why you’re upset?”  
  
“I’m not upset.”  
  
“You look upset.”  
  
“Upset means being mad.”  
  
“No,” Haruka looked at the briefcase. “Everyone deals with emotions differently… if Rin was upset, someone would be dead. If Rei was upset, he’d leave the room. If I was upset, I’d just glare at someone… but when you’re upset, you turn sad… and quiet.”  
  
Nagisa looked up, crossing his legs. “So then maybe I’m sad.”  
  
“Maybe,” Haruka nodded.  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa sighed, “I’m sad…” He was about to say something else, but he felt Haruka slip an arm around him. He smiled painfully and tilted his body, resting his head against Haruka’s shoulder. “I feel stupid.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because I’m sad that Mako-cha… Makoto is leaving. But it has to be done, right?”  
  
“I guess.”  
  
“You guess? That’s it? You’re not going to get married to your perfect swimmer boy and all you do is ‘Guess’?”  
  
“Yeah,” Haruka shrugged.  
  
Nagisa closed his eyes, feeling the moisture between his eyelids again. “What if we never see him again?”  
  
“Well,” Haruka pursed his lips, “Knowing what Iwatobi does for a living… I don’t think it would be good for either of us if we saw him again, right?”  
  
“Right,” Nagisa nodded, sighing. That’s just the way things were, and that left him with two options. Nagisa closed his eyes and repeated it in his mind: ‘ _Kill my feelings or kill Mako-chan._ ’


	8. Part 7: Fuck You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yesterday I was on a writing craze, managed to write the previous chapter, edit it, then write this one. I didn't trust my sleepy-self to edit it though, so I waited until morning. Enjoy~!

A day had passed since Nagisa had last spoken to Makoto. He tried to ignore it, but people seemed to take notice in the apparent ‘change’ in him. It wasn’t a change to him, though. Everyone was happy at some point in their life, and everyone turned sad at another point of their life. That was so basic, so simple, and yet he was so angry, so pissed off when one of the juniors asked him if he was okay. If Kou hadn’t been there to change the subject, he was sure he’d shoot the idiot.  
  
Though, he was thankful as well that Kou was there. They didn’t really have time to lose even more operatives. With one member being killed during a job, they were down to eight.  
  
Things were changing around Iwatobi, and most of them Nagisa was not okay with. He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing. He didn’t know what he wanted, but he knew he needed to somewhat pretend he had control of what was happening, of Iwatobi, of the situation, and of himself. With all of those, then he could move on from all of it, eventually. Or so he hoped.  
  
Nagisa pursed his lips and turned the door handle of the lounge. He pushed it open and stepped in, seeing the other three seniors busying away with papers. That’s right, he nodded, he gave them forms to fill out so they could leave him alone. It was junior work, but they were asking him stupid questions so he just threw it at them instead. They deserved it, he reminded himself and slowly crossed the room. Sitting on one of the empty couches, he sighed and moved blond hair out of his eyes, trying to tuck it behind his ears, but it was too unruly to listen.  
  
“Nagisa,” Rei didn’t look up from his page as he spoke, “How did the talk go with the hostage?”  
  
Nagisa looked up, “Huh?”  
  
Rei’s eyes narrowed slightly out of concern, “Did you get any new information?”  
  
“Information?”  
  
When Rin also looked up, Haruka was the only one working on the papers.  
  
“Yesterday, you said you would talk to hostage, see if he had any information regarding Yamato Tachibana’s bank account. That’s why you went to see him, uh...” He paused, “Makoto was it?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded, “Makoto.”  
  
Rei just kept looking at him.  
  
Nagisa blinked then made an ‘Oh’ noise, “No, I uh... I didn’t ask him. I forgot.”  
  
Haruka’s eyes glanced up for a second, then moved back down to the papers.  
  
“Did he distract you?” There was a teasing smile on Rei’s lips. It was well known that the boss was taking interest in the hostage.  
  
“Distract me?” Nagisa blinked, clearly catching on to what the other was saying.  
  
“What I mean is,” Rei began.  
  
Haruka raised his head and eyes narrowed; he pretty much gave a look that said ‘Shut the hell up’.  
  
Rei merely shrugged and sheepishly whispered, “Nevermind.”  
  
Rin pursed his lips, looking at Haruka then Rei, then back to Nagisa. “Hey, blondie, did something happen?”  
  
Nagisa closed his eyes and shook his head softly, “No.”  
  
“Did he...?”  
  
Nagisa looked up.  
  
“Did he...?”  
  
“Did he what?”  
  
“Did he... call you fat?”  
  
“Wh-what?” Nagisa blinked, frowning. “No, no he didn’t.”  
  
Rin sighed, “He called you fat, didn’t he?”  
  
“No,” Nagisa tilted his head, “Why would he call me fat?”  
  
“Well, you know....” Rin started and everyone suddenly glared at him. “All I’m saying is, well, you’ve been eating a lot of mac’ and cheese lately and not really going on any missions, you know, exercise...”  
  
“Everyone eats mac’ and cheese,” Nagisa pouted.  
  
“Well, yeah, but you eat a _lot_ of mac’ and cheese.”  
  
“Rin,” Haruka looked up, eyes icy. “Shut. It.”  
  
Rin swallowed hard and looked back to the papers, “I’m just gonna work on these...”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa muttered, “Do that.”

  
~ ~ ~

  
Makoto was lying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Ceilings were always lifeless, but today it looked extra lifeless and he didn’t know why. No, that wasn’t true. He knew why. He sighed and closed his green eyes, not sure what to feel or what was the logical recourse at this moment. ‘ _The only reason why I’m so bothered..._ ’ he thought to himself, ‘ _Is because he... really seemed to like me before I told him that we could possibly not see each other again... this just, this isn’t fair._ ’ He clasped his hands over his face and groaned loudly.  
  
“Nagisa,” he spoke to no one, “Just... I wish... I want to talk to you.”  
  
He moved his hands away and felt his eyes tear up.  
  
“Nagisa...”  
  
The door opened.  
  
“Nagisa!” he shouted as he instantly sat up.  
  
“Not quite,” a redhead replied.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard.  
  
Rin stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him. He stepped to the center of the room, looking around. “We really gave you a nice room, huh? Did a lot of things for you.” His eyes narrowed and turned around to face Makoto. “I’d say, we’re pretty good hosts, and I think we fed you alright, didn’t hurt you. You’re coming out of this without scars, all limbs intact. Yeah, pretty good hosts.” He gave a flash of his shark teeth as he glared, “But I want you to know that when you fuck with Nagisa, you fuck with all of us, got it?”  
  
“R-right,” Makoto moved his legs so he was sitting on the bed.  
  
“So why the _fuck_ would you do that?”  
  
“It’s not like, I had any control over it,” Makoto muttered, “Plus, he’s equally responsible, isn’t he?”  
  
Rin growled, crossing the room. He grabbed Makoto by the collar of his shirt and yanked him up. “Listen to me you little piece of _shit_. He did everything good for you, so how dare you fucking say that! You just had to open your mouth and say it! You just had to call him fat didn’t you?”  
  
“W-wait, w-what?”  
  
“Sure he eats a lot of mac’ and cheese, but how fucking dare you say he’s ‘equally responsible’ for that! Shut your mouth!”  
  
“Wait!” Makoto grabbed Rin’s hand and shoved it away, “I didn’t call him fat!”  
  
Rin blinked, “You didn’t?”  
  
“No!” Makoto sighed, taking a seat again. “He’s actually really skinny... I’m amazed at how much he eats for such a skinny guy. Lucky, I wish I had that metabolism.”  
  
“Tell me about it,” Rin agreed.  
  
“But, I didn’t call him fat,” Makoto glared, looking up. “If you think that’s what happened between us, you’re wrong.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto sighed, shaking his head in his hand.  
  
“So what happened between you guys?”  
  
“I...” Makoto looked up at the redhead and sighed, “I think I’ve... fallen for him.”  
  
“Shit.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“He likes you,” Rin smirked as he crossed his arms, “You should go for it.”  
  
“I did.” Makoto sighed, looking at the floor. “But I’m a hostage. Once I’m given back, he can’t hold contact with me, he can’t do anything with me because... it’s not good for your organisation.”  
  
“Oh...” Rin nodded slowly as he understood. “Shit.”  
  
“... Yeah.”  
  
Rin uncrossed his arms and pursed his lips. “Well, maybe it’s for the best.”  
  
“Yeah...” Makoto pushed his hands in his face; it was like he couldn’t say anything else besides that one word.  
  
Rin nodded twice and then eventually moved towards the door. “Well.... Oh,” he suddenly stopped, looking at Makoto. “Right, I’m here for a reason. I’m supposed to ask you what you know about your uncle’s income.”  
  
“Huh?” Makoto looked up.  
  
“Well, you’ve seen how many security guards he has, and how large his mansion is. One of our guys calculated his income and his expenses. It doesn’t add up. We were wondering if you knew where he’s getting all that extra income from.” Rin tilted his head slightly, “Remember what Nagisa said? We’d like if you would cooperate.”  
  
Makoto blinked, looking down. “Hmm, I can’t say I’ve ever thought about it before. He’s always had too much money, but I always thought he was just getting paid high. If it doesn’t add up with his income, I’d say just make sure the numbers are right.”  
  
“They’re right,” Rin growled, “Trust me.”  
  
Makoto hummed at that, thinking to himself. “That’s weird.”  
  
“Yeah, but what does it mean?”  
  
“Well...” Makoto pursed his lips, “I’ve always sort of had the feeling, that my uncle’s been hiding something.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow at that.

  
~ ~ ~

  
“Come in,” Rei spoke up when there was a knock on the door.  
  
Nitori stepped in, carrying a white envelope. “A letter came for us, from Tachibana.”  
  
Nagisa looked up slowly and held out his hand, “Give it.”  
  
Nitori crossed the distance and handed the letter.  
  
Haruka looked up, “Are we going to wait for Rin to come back?”  
  
“No,” Nagisa said simply, “He’s not an essential part of Makoto’s case.” His eyes flicked up to Nitori, “Leave.”  
  
“Ah, yes sir,” Nitori turned around and left, closing the door behind him.  
  
Tearing open the top, Nagisa slipped out the letter and cleared his throat, reading aloud: “I wish to inform you that tomorrow I will be withdrawing my name from the ballot in exchange for my nephew’s safe return. I will warn you, however...” Nagisa trailed off, “Yadda yadda, he better be in good condition,” he mumbled some other words then handed the letter to Rei. “He wants to do the exchange at a public place, tomorrow, afternoon.”  
  
“Trap,” Haruka muttered.  
  
“Obvious one,” Rei agreed as he took the letter. “What should we do?”  
  
“Well, his letter didn’t instruct us to personally look over the exchange in any way,” Nagisa pointed out, “That means all we have to do is send Makoto over. Give him enough change to use the train.”  
  
“But,” Rei pursed his lips, “What’s stopping Makoto from giving Tachibana enough information to trace back to us.”  
  
“He won’t rat us out,” Nagisa explained.  
  
At that moment, the door opened again and Rin stepped in. “Hey,” he gave a small wave and took a seat, “Just talked to the hostage.”  
  
“I want to see him,” Nagisa muttered.  
  
“Hey, Nagi,” Rin said in a lower tone, “Um, maybe we should talk... you know, about Mako-chan.”  
  
“Makoto,” Nagisa corrected with a sigh. He grabbed the letter from Rei and gave it to Rin, “Message, from Tachibana.”  
  
Rin took it, reading it quickly before nodding. “So what’s the plan?”  
  
“It looks like a trap,” Rei explained, “But we don’t have to personally be there; Nagisa wants to send Makoto over, give him money for public transport. We were just discussing what’s stopping Makoto from giving Yamato enough information to trace back to us.”  
  
Rin blinked twice, looking at Nagisa.  
  
“He won’t,” Nagisa repeated simply as he got up, “I’ll talk to him, convince him otherwise.”  
  
“How?” Rei’s eyebrow rose as well.  
  
Rin also stood up, “About Makoto, he wants to talk to you.”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded, “I know. Let me guess, he loves me?”  
  
Rei blinked, “What?”  
  
Rin pursed his lips, nodding.  
  
Rei looked at Haruka, “Was I the only one who didn’t know?”  
  
Haruka shrugged, “I figured it out yesterday.”  
  
Nagisa sighed, stepping away from the three of them. “He loves me, not that I care. But as long as he loves me, he wouldn’t dare speak out against me.”  
  
Rei stood up, “That’s a big presumption.”  
  
“Mako-cha...” Nagisa visibly twitched and he shifted, “Makoto’s a kind person, gentle heart. He’s.... sweet, really sweet. He cares, and...” Nagisa turned to the door so none of them could see him squish his eyes closed. “He’s the type of person who’s incredibly easy to manipulate, by his emotions, so we just use that to our advantage.”  
  
Haruka looked at the papers he was working on previously and sighed, “Are you... really okay with this?”  
  
Nagisa looked back and nodded, “Why wouldn’t I be?”  
  
Rin pursed his lips.  
  
Rei’s eyes widened, “And you... you... love him back?”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes twitched for a moment and he looked away.  
  
“Nagisa...” Rin whispered.  
  
“It doesn’t matter; before my feelings, I’m the head of Iwatobi. I’ve killed more people than all three of you combined. I’ve accepted over a hundred illegal contracts with the Yakuza over a span of three years, led an organisation of eight members who are all fully trained and equipped to kill. I put on a childish act, always trying to have fun, pretending I’m silly, but before all of that I am a member of Iwatobi, and my feelings don’t matter, so just forget about them.”  
  
Rei went quiet as he slowly sunk back in his seat.  
  
Haruka kept looking down.  
  
“Nagisa,” Rin stepped closer, raising a hand just to touch the blond’s shoulder.  
  
“Don’t,” Nagisa glared. His hand moved over his gun. “I’m your boss. If you forget that, I’ll have to remind you.”  
  
Rin pursed his lips, stepping back as he raised his hands in a defensive pose.  
  
Nagisa opened the door and let it slam behind him.  
  
The three of them remained in silence.  
  
Haruka sighed, closing his eyes, shaking his head. “He fell, hard.”  
  
“Yeah,” Rin muttered, sighing as he took a seat. “I want to stop him, but...”  
  
“He’d kill you,” Haruka reminded.  
  
Rei frowned, shaking his head.  
  
Rin looked up, looking between the two, “Hey... Do you, believe what he said? About the whole, ‘I put on a childish act’? I mean, I don’t know about you, but... I’ve always figured that was the real Nagisa, you know?”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses. “It is... in our human nature to have different ‘selves’. How one would talk to their grand-parents is different than how they would talk with their friends. Perhaps the ‘self’ he is showing us is just an act, but...”  
  
Haruka looked at him, “You’re not buying it either?”  
  
Rei shook his head. “Nagisa is Nagisa. He’s childish and crazy and on occasion emotional. He would grab you, hug you, tackle you to the ground and jump on your back if he was happy and he sobs quite loudly if he’s sad.”  
  
“Right,” Rin whispered, “Before all else, he’s not a member of Iwatobi... he’s, Nagisa.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Haruka looked up, “I hate to say it, but out of the four of us, the one we know the least about is Nagisa.”  
  
Rei looked up and snapped his fingers, “That’s it! Rin, you’ve known Nagisa for years, haven’t you?”  
  
“Sure,” Rin nodded, “I’ve known him since he was in diapers, but Haruka’s right. I know more about you two than I do about Nagisa. I mean I knew of him, but I didn’t really get to _know_ him until a couple years back?”  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow, “How do you know him?”  
  
“Well, he came over a lot since he’s the same as age as—Oh,” Rin exclaimed, suddenly realising what Rei was getting at, “Kou.”

  
~ ~ ~

  
Nagisa sighed as he walked down the hall, shaking his head softly as he walked closer to Makoto’s room. He swallowed hard, closing his eyes and raised a hand. He knocked, twice, on the door and waited.  
  
“Who is it?”  
  
“Nagisa.”  
  
“Come in!”  
  
Nagisa swallowed hard before putting in the pin code, then opening the door. He stepped in the room to see Makoto standing in front of him. “I’ve got a message from your uncle.”  
  
“Let me join.”  
  
Nagisa paused, blinking. “I’m sorry?”  
  
“Let me join,” Makoto whispered, crossing the distance, softly putting his hands on Nagisa’s shoulders. “Please, if I join your group, your organisation, then it’ll be alright for us to be together, right? It’ll be fine. It’ll all be fine, and then maybe we can talk about this, because... I think it’s obvious, but I have feelings for—”  
  
“No.”  
  
Makoto’s mouth froze mid-sentence.  
  
Nagisa pulled out his gun and pushed it against the brunet’s stomach, “Hands.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Hands, off,” Nagisa whispered.  
  
“Oh,” Makoto moved his arms away and took a step back, “Sorry...”  
  
Nagisa closed his eyes, giving a pained sigh. “Makoto—”  
  
“Mako-chan,” he corrected.  
  
“Mako... -chan,” Nagisa swallowed hard, eyes dipping to the floor, then to the side. He took a deep breath and shook his head, not sure how he was going to do this. He put his gun away and shook his head, “Sorry. I’m sorry, but I can’t. You’re not qualified to be a member of Iwatobi. I know you... honestly want to, to make this work and I... appreciate it,” Nagisa’s dark pink eyes looked up at Makoto and felt his eyes water. “I think you’re great... but you’ll never be able to pull the trigger.”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard, lowering his eyes to the floor.  
  
“So,” Nagisa suddenly looked away, “Shit.”  
  
Makoto looked up.  
  
Nagisa pressed the end of his sleeve against the corner of his eyes to dry them. “I... We... Your, your uncle.... We got a message from your uncle, he wants to meet by the mall, downtown.”  
  
Of Japan’s forty-seven prefectures, they were in Tottori, which ranked forty-seventh in terms of populations. It was known for its sand dunes and there was nothing exciting about it at all. The downtown wasn’t anything like it was for a metropolis, and there really were only two malls in the entire ‘city’.  
  
“He wants you there, tomorrow, afternoon.”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto looked away.  
  
“It’s an obvious trap,” Nagisa forced himself to speak, “For that reason, we want to send you there on your own. We’ll drop you outside a bus stop that’s close by, and you’ll be able to get there within ten minutes. We’ll provide the money for the bus fare. You’ll get there early by thirty minutes, or something like that, just in case there’s traffic or something. Um,” he sighed, closing his eyes.  
  
“And if I don’t go?”  
  
Nagisa looked up, frowning. “You’ll send your uncle against us at full force, with his big political uproar and we’ll probably end up dead. Well, not all of us, but I will. I’m the head of this organisation, and if that means I have to play sacrificial lamb to save the rest of it.... I will.”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard, silently nodding.  
  
“So, this is what you’re gonna do,” Nagisa whispered, “You’re going to see your uncle. You’re going to go along with what the media believes, that the security guard who was shot in the kitchen is the guy who kidnapped you. You’re going to pretend you don’t remember anything, Rei will fill you in. If your uncle privately asks you what happened, just say you don’t know. You had a cloth over your head for the majority of the time, and you wish you could help but you don’t think you can.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“Okay,” Nagisa nodded. “Um...” His eyes moved to the floor, “You’ll go back to your old life tomorrow, so... night night, sleep tight.” He looked up and offered a smile, “Don’t let the bedbugs bite, okay?”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Nagisa slowly turned around, swallowing hard as he did.  
  
“Nagisa.”  
  
He looked over his shoulder.  
  
“Could...” Makoto frowned, “Could there be _any_ other way for us...? To, maybe, just meet outside, just once? Please?”  
  
Nagisa closed his eyes and shook his head. “Makoto. I’m sorry, I was stupid for letting this happen. I was stupid for becoming so... attached, but when you go back to your family, you’ll realise, you’ll really realise you don’t have those feelings for me. I’m sure of it.”  
  
“No you’re not,” Makoto’s brows furrowed, “You’re just lying to make me feel better!”  
  
Nagisa swallowed hard and grabbed the door handle, “Makoto, please... this is what’s best.”  
  
“Maybe for you,” Makoto sighed. He walked over to the bed and took a seat, shaking his head. “Nagisa, I...” He looked up, smiling, “I love—”  
  
“Don’t say it,” Nagisa forced himself to glare.  
  
“I love–”  
  
“Stop.”  
  
“I-”  
  
“Shut up!” Nagisa pulled out his gun and aimed it at the brunet, “I’ll fucking kill you, right _now_ ,” his voice cracked. “The first time we met, in the car, I-I wasn’t kidding when I said I would do it. Cooperate, or you’ll see your uncle as a bloody mess. If you’re not cooperating, then you’re getting in our way! Just, just cooperate. Just, stop it.... please, stop it. I… I don’t want to hear you say it, okay?”  
  
Makoto stood up, not caring about the gun. “Why not?”  
  
“Because...” Nagisa closed his eyes, trying not to cry. “Because I honestly... I really wish, I could just, kiss you again, Mako-chan. You’re really... you’re really something, and I like you. I have feelings for you. I...” He cursed at himself and brought down his gun, “I love you.”  
  
Makoto smiled. “Nagisa, I love you too.”  
  
“Good,” Nagisa squeezed the handle of his firearm and opened the door. “Great, now I hope you’re happy when you’re full of regret, you fucking bastard. I want this to work, as much as you do, but realistically it can’t so fuck you, and fuck you for making me admitting it, and fuck you for admitting back! Just, why? Why couldn’t you let me lie? Why couldn’t you just let me lie to myself, and to you, and you to lie to me, and then we could have gone our own ways and gotten over it, but you’re just... Fuck!” Nagisa brought up his gun and pulled the trigger.  
  
The crack of a gunshot filled the room.  
  
Makoto threw both hands over his head and closed his eyes. He looked behind him to see a bullet in the wall, “Holy shit! You almost shot me!”  
  
“That was the point!” Nagisa shouted, “It’s not my fault my aim’s bad... it’s all blurry... It’s your fault, you’re the one that made me cry.”  
  
Makoto turned back and his eyes widened.  
  
Sure enough, tears were falling from Nagisa’s eyes. “Fuck,” he whispered, “Fuck you, Mako-chan... Selfish, that’s what you are.”  
  
Makoto paused, looking down. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Nagisa.”  
  
The blond put his gun down and looked through the open door.  
  
“We heard a gunshot,” Haruka stepped in the room, seeing Makoto, then looking back to Nagisa. His eyes slightly widened when he noticed the tears, “Nagisa...”  
  
“I’m fine,” Nagisa rubbed his eyes. “Makoto just wasn’t cooperating, that’s all. You should, say goodbye, to your husband before tomorrow morning.”  
  
“Okay…” Haruka nodded slowly as he watched Nagisa walk away. He looked up at Makoto, but Makoto just looked away.


	9. Case of Nitori

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I think it's obvious but to clarify this is _not_ Part 8. This does not take place after the previous chapter. This is "Case of Nitori", a flashback chapter dedicated to him. Yes, there will be "Case of"s for the other characters too, eventually.

One thing most people didn’t know was that brothels in the surrounding area all had themes. Some of them were strange like “Freaky girls” or “Tentacle monsters” and the list went on for odd ones.  
  
The one owned by Lady Grey had a sort of ‘Film Noir’ feel to it. The ladies were dressed up with class, and the boys always had suits. She sold them all, one after another, for rental purposes and occasionally as a permanent purchases.  
  
In her hands was a cigarette holder, long and slim, black, with little grey designs etched on it. At the end, of course, was a lit cigarette. She brought the holder to her lips, sucking on it before she raised her head, opening her mouth and releasing a cloud of grey smoke.  
  
Sitting in her office was a teenage boy, six months until he was seventeen. He had grey hair matching owner of the brothels and the same blue eyes.  
  
“Nitori,” she said as she opened her eyes, “You have a customer booked for three. It’s almost two-thirty, you should go get ready.”  
  
“Okay,” Nitori nodded and got up. He walked out of her office, and down the hall. Within minutes, he was in his own room, clothes scattered on the floor. He entered his attached bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the warm water run over him.  
  
Customers wanted them clean.  
  
Nitori sighed, grabbing the bottle of body lotion. He opened it, smelling the gentle fragrance. It was floral, with a dash of pomegranate. He poured it in his hand then rubbed it over himself, needing to be ‘fresh’. That’s how it was. He pursed his lips and let the water wash it off of him, then he grabbed the shampoo. It was only another minute or two before he stepped out.  
  
Grabbing a bathrobe, he rubbed his hair against it before putting it on. He used the cloth belt and tied it around his waist, sighing again. He grabbed the hair dryer, using it for a moment before putting it down.  
  
He stepped out of the bathroom and looked around his room.  
  
Everything was perfect, as always.  
  
He moved towards the bed and then slipped off the bathrobe. He moved under the silk sheets, feeling it against his skin. He brought up his knees, hugging them against his chest. Biting his lip, he waited, counting seconds before he heard the door open.  
  
The customer stepped in.  
  
Nitori moved his arms away, teasingly moving one leg over the other as he had been trained to do.  
  
It didn’t matter who it was.  
  
It was a job.  
  
They paid for it, and it would be over soon enough.  
  
Nitori spent most of the time on his back. He felt the man’s lips on his neck, feeling him move inside him. There was no pain, luckily. He wasn’t allowed to be hurt, unlike the others. He was the child of Lady Grey, which meant he was a ‘premium’ option. They paid more and in turn had to play by some more rules. Nitori secretly wished that kept them away, but it seemed to do the opposite.  
  
Nitori had always had a more-than-feminine figure. Not to mention, he was the son of Lady Grey—and all the perverted thoughts sickened, becoming even more twisted.  
  
Nitori focused on his breathing, waiting it out. He swallowed hard, feeling the hands roam his body, the mouth over his shoulder, the cock deep in his ass. He tried not to hiss, tried to be the ‘pleasant’ boy that all his raving reviews said he was. He was thankful, that he was a ‘premium’, that he wasn’t one of the average girls or boys that didn’t have Lady Grey’s protection. If something bad happened to them, he knew his mother would only be counting coins and deciding whether it was worth the trouble to even think about it. Half the time, it wasn’t.  
  
“Ngh,” the man grunted.  
  
Nitori winced as he felt the man shudder. But, inside, he was happy: It was over. He waited until the man pulled out, fixed his belt, and left, until Nitori took a deep breath. Sighing, he closed his eyes and relaxed. He let the tension in his shoulders slowly dissipate and he rolled over. He didn’t have any more customers today, not until nine at night. There was no rush for him to do anything, and the time between customers was the only time he really got to himself.  
  
He reached for a pillow, pulling it closer so he could rest his head on it.  
  
A minute passed by and he spent the time relaxing. Another minute past, and another.  
  
The crack of gunshots broke the silence.  
  
Nitori instantly got up, hearing screams down the hall. He moved to the dresser, yanking out a cloth robe and pulling it over himself. It wasn’t the first time someone raided the brothel. He opened the door to his room and ran down the hall. He was on the third floor; there was more than enough time before whatever threat made its way up the stairs.  
  
“It’s me,” he said before he opened the door to his mother’s office.  
  
Lady Grey had a pistol in her hand, aiming it at the door. She cocked her head to the side, motioning to the chair.  
  
Nodding, Nitori instantly took the seat and moved the chair against the wall, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. The constant sounds of screams and gunshots got louder and louder and Nitori closed his eyes, trying to forget about what was happening.  
  
Soon enough, there was silence.  
  
Nitori looked up, “Mom? Is it, over?”  
  
“No,” she sighed, “It just means they’re coming for us now.”  
  
Nitori nodded, looking to the door. He sighed, hearing footsteps come closer.  
  
Eventually the door opened and a redhead stepped in, following was someone with black hair with a blue tint.  
  
Lady Grey aimed her gun at the redhead, raising an eyebrow. “Who are you?”  
  
Rin gave a little snicker, “Well, we’re from Iwatobi.”  
  
“I see,” she blinked her eyes, not caring. “The little penguin club, yes I know.”  
  
“We want things to go peacefully,” Rin’s eyes narrowed, “But you’ve seriously started fucking with us.”  
  
Lady Grey only chuckled, “If either of you make one move, I’ll shoot you. Get out; I don’t have time for small little groups run by some kid.”  
  
Rin sighed, walking to the side of the room. “Okay, okay, but we just want you to know one thing.” He offered a smile and looked to the side, “Haru?”  
  
Haruka looked at the woman before letting out a string of high and squeaky dolphin-like noises.  
  
Lady Grey blinked twice, “What?”  
  
Rin snickered, pulling his pistol and firing. The bullet flew through the air going straight through her head. “Well,” Rin nodded, “That went well.”  
  
Haruka looked at the dead body in front of them, not saying anything else.  
  
Rin raised his gun at the teenage boy, “Bye.”  
  
“Wait!” Nitori threw his hands in the air, “Please don’t!”  
  
Rin sighed, “Gimme a reason.”  
  
“I-I, um, didn’t do anything wrong?”  
  
Haruka looked at Nitori, then to Lady Grey. “You’re her kid, right?”  
  
“Y-yeah.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, glancing to Haruka. “What of it?”  
  
“I’ve got an idea,” Haruka stated simply.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Nitori sat in the lounge, looking around. Iwatobi. His mother had told him about it: It was a small-time group that was growing in power. She thought nothing of it at first, just wanted to press her dominance against them so they wouldn’t get in the way. Although, that didn’t seem to work out. He looked down, looking at the suit he was forced to wear.  
  
His eyes scanned the lounge, unsure of how he felt. On one hand, he was required to kill or be killed, which was always nice, though he was sure that anything beat selling his body as a ‘premium slab of meat’ just because people wanted any way to feel like they were getting back at his mom. Swallowing hard, he pursed his lips.  
  
He stayed silent.  
  
He mostly stayed silent, of course. He was used to staying silent and ‘taking it’. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad in terms of being a member of Iwatobi, but Haruka didn’t seem to mind. It was Haruka’s idea to take him in, after all. Nitori didn’t have a birth certificate, being treated like an object since conception; he didn’t have anywhere to run. In a sense, he was still a tool, a body to be used, by Iwatobi instead of random men, though.  
  
He swallowed hard, wondering if it was better.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
Nitori looked up, seeing a girl with red hair. “H-hi,” he gave an easy, practiced smile.  
  
“I’m Kou,” she smiled and moved a hand under her skirt as she took a seat. “You’re new here, right?”  
  
“Y-yeah,” Nitori nodded, “Newest member.”  
  
“If you need anything, let me know, okay.” Kou chuckled, “Nagisa’s a little crazy, but… we’re kind of one big, messed up family. We do look out for each other.”  
  
Nitori offered a smile, then nodded. “O-okay, I’m just… I guess this all just really weird for me. I’ve shot guns before, but this takes it to a whole other level.”  
  
Kou put a hand over her lips as she laughed, “It’s weird, isn’t it?”  
  
“Nitori.”  
  
Nitori looked up and instantly got to his feet. “Nanase-senpai.”  
  
Haruka sighed, “Haruka’s fine.”  
  
“Y-yes, Haruka-san.”  
  
“Drop the -san.”  
  
“Ah,” Nitori felt his cheeks burn and he scratched the back of his head. “Is it time already?”  
  
“A little early,” he shrugged, “But if we finish earlier, we’ll have some time off to eat something.”  
  
“O-oh, okay.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After training with a sniper on the firing range, Haruka made them stop by a small sandwich and coffee shop chain.  
  
Nitori was sitting on a bench, looking up at the night sky. The stars were visible and it made him smile. He never really got the chance to leave his room often; and, even then, it was usually for something small and mostly during the day. He’d read so many books that had said ‘under a blanket of stars’, and looking up he finally understood what that meant.  
  
“Small coffee with a vanilla shot, right?” Haruka said as he offered the steaming disposable, paper cup.  
  
Nitori took it with a smile, then took the small sandwich Haruka offered as well. “Thank you, Senpai.”  
  
“Haruka,” he corrected before sitting next to him. He sipped his own coffee and mostly stayed quiet.  
  
Nitori ate in silence, sipping his coffee. Looking over to Haruka, he hesitated for a moment. “U-um, Haruka… am I, any good at this? I mean, I’m not really made for the whole… Iwatobi thing, don’t you think?”  
  
“You’re not bad,” Haruka admitted, “Practice makes perfect. You’ve seen more action with a gun than me when I first joined.”  
  
Nitori smiled at that, but he compressed his lips to a thin line. “I just, I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing…”  
  
“You’ll figure it out,” Haruka nodded, “I trust you.”  
  
Nitori felt his cheeks redden slightly.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Nitori already had his sniper rifle slung over his back, all the ammo clips in place, all gear properly equipped. He made it a routine to be ready fifteen minutes earlier than usual, because his senpai seemed to pop in at any time interval. Haruka’s unpredictability wasn’t annoying, though. Nitori was more than happy to just be available whenever he was needed. Eventually, his head perked up at the sound of someone coming and he straightened his back, ready.  
  
What he saw, however, was a little different.  
  
Haruka entered the hallway by backing up, mouth against Rin’s. He moved his hands around the redhead’s neck, moaning into the kiss.  
  
Rin’s hands moved down to Haruka’s belt, easily tearing it to shreds and tossing it to the side. He pushed down Haruka’s pants and then grabbed his chest to turn him over.  
  
Haruka gasped as he put both hands against the wall.  
  
Rin leaned in, kissing the back of Haruka’s neck as he rubbed his crotch against Haruka’s ass. “Yeah you like that, don’t you?”  
  
“Yeah,” Haruka whispered, biting his lip as he let out a soft noise.  
  
All the while, Nitori stood with eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a quiet, girly little cry. His cheeks burned red and he wasn’t sure if he should keep watching (BecauseItWasKindOfHot) or if he should leave and give them some privacy. They were doing it, in front of him, right in the middle of a hallway. They didn’t care about anything, so maybe they wouldn’t care if he just stood right there, watching.  
  
“Got any lube?” Rin asked as he ground his crotch against Haruka.  
  
“Don’t need,” Haruka grinned, “Already prep’d myself.”  
  
“You little shit,” Rin smirked as he softly bit down on Haruka’s neck.  
  
“Ah!”  
  
Nitori’s cheeks flushed and he thought back to the rumours, of how _Shark’s_ teeth were sharp like a shark. He slowly rubbed his own neck, wondering if it hurt… or if it hurt good. He swallowed hard, feeling his body temperature rise. He took in a deep breath, silently of course, and tried to calm down. It was… strange, Nitori noted. When he was in the brothel, he wasn’t usually sexually attracted to anything… but watching Haruka and Rin go at it… He looked down and his cheeks burned. Covering his boner with a hand, he scampered down the hall to find a free room, so he could relieve himself.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Um, Shark’s your brother, right?”  
  
Kou looked up from the report she was writing. “Yeah, you don’t have to use codenames. You can call him ‘Rin’ if you want.”  
  
“Ah,” Nitori nodded, biting his lip.  
  
Kou tilted her head, “What about him?”  
  
“O-oh, well, um,” Nitori bit his lip, “I’m just… I mean, I heard the rumours about his teeth, and I was just wondering…”  
  
Kou chuckled, looking down at the form. “Yeah, they’re sharp like shark teeth. He used to be really self-conscious about it when he was growing up.”  
  
Nitori blinked, “So they’re… I mean, but like, really like a shark’s huh?”  
  
“Yeah,” Kou nodded.  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yeah…” Kou nodded again.  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Nitori.”  
  
“Ah,” Nitori looked up to see Haruka.  
  
Haruka offered a small smile, “And yes, they’re sharp like a shark’s.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
It was when he pulled the trigger that he heard Haruka whistle. He moved his eye away from the scope and looked at his mentor, “Huh?”  
  
“Nice one,” Haruka looked at the firing range. “That was pretty far; I wasn’t able to hit it for a while.”  
  
“Th-thank you, Haruka-senpai.”  
  
Haruka rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste the energy to tell Nitori to drop the ‘-senpai’. “You’re a good shot, Nitori.”  
  
Nitori smiled softly, looking at the rifle in his hand. “Really?”  
  
“Yeah,” he nodded.  
  
Nitori chuckled, biting his lip. “I always figured I’d be good at something, that I had to be good at _something_ … never thought it would be this, though.”  
  
“If you keep practicing, you’ll end up better than me.”  
  
“N-no,” Nitori shook his head, “Senpai–”  
  
“Haruka,” he corrected. “It’s good, we need more snipers. They’re not easy to get a hold of, and I want the best on my side. Keep practising.”  
  
Nitori nodded slowly, feeling warmth on his cheeks.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Haruka-senpai!” Nitori opened the door of the senior lounge without knocking. Luckily, there were only two senior members in the lounge.  
  
Rei looked up from his laptop.  
  
“What?” Haruka muttered in monotone as he shoved a spoonful of yoghurt in his mouth.  
  
Swallowing hard, Nitori stepped in and rubbed his arm. “There’s been talk of… traitors, in Iwatobi.”  
  
Haruka swallowed another spoonful and looked at Rei.  
  
“Give me their names,” Rei began, but paused, “No. Write them down.”  
  
Nitori stepped towards the desk and grabbed a pencil and began writing on the notepad. “They spoke to me, asking me to join… they thought, since Matsuoka-san shot my mom, I’d want to be a part of them. I said yes to gain more information, so I could give it to you guys. There’s four of them,” he said as he pushed the notepad forward.  
  
Rei looked at the names and nodded. “That means they think they have five, in an organisation of thirteen. They would probably think their odds are pretty good. They could be making a move some time soon.” He muttered something else before turning back to his laptop, typing away at something.  
  
“Nitori.”  
  
Nitori winced and looked over, “Y-yes Senpai?”  
  
Haruka threw out his yoghurt and plastic spoon before turning back to the grey haired teen. “Thank you.”  
  
“H-huh?” Nitori’s cheeks flushed.  
  
“I did the right thing,” he muttered, “Bringing you in, I mean.”  
  
Nitori felt his heart flutter and he couldn’t hide the biggest, dorkiest, goofiest smile from forming on his lips. “Th-thank you Senpai!” he shouted as he bowed.  
  
“Haruka.”  
  
“Haruka-senpai!”  
  
“No I mean, just… forget it,” Haruka rolled his eyes.  
  
Nitori looked up, face red. It didn’t need to be said; he was swelling with pride, and happy that he found a place he belonged.


	10. Part 8: Scared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I should mention, there is some violence in this chapter. It is a little gritty, but it's not that bad. Still, I feel like if there are some people who get easily squicked, I should mentally prepare you. Anyway, yeah, speaking of violence, if anyone has read my other stuff, you'll know half of what I write is like cuddling and like the other half is humour. That last scene was totally out of my writing comfort zone but it was also really fun to put together, XD. Anyway, yeah, bit about me. I hope you enjoy, sorry for taking a while to update.

_“We heard a gunshot,” Haruka stepped in the room, seeing Makoto, then looking back to Nagisa. His eyes slightly widened when he noticed the tears, “Nagisa…”_  
  
 _“I’m fine,” Nagisa rubbed his eyes. “Makoto just wasn’t cooperating, that’s all. You should, say goodbye, to your husband before tomorrow morning.”_  
  
 _“Okay…” Haruka nodded slowly as he watched Nagisa walk away. He looked up at Makoto, but Makoto just looked away._

  
Makoto kept his head down on the train. There wasn’t much to see. It was the average train, seats on the side, aisle through the middle. At the top, little plastic rings someone could fit a hand in were hanging by a thread, like safety ropes, for standing passengers to keep balance. The sound of the engine motor, almost comforting, and the occasional shake of public transport… it was so reminiscent of the life he had before the kidnapping, that he pondered if it even happened at all. 

  
_“Makoto…” Haruka closed the door behind him and crossed the distance.  
  
“I…” Makoto closed his eyes, “I don’t want to give up on him.”_

  
The train shook slightly and Makoto raised his head. He looked out the window, realising it was the first time he was seeing the outside world in a couple weeks. He tried to force a smile, but it failed halfway through and he gave a sigh. He leaned back, pushing the back of his head against the wall behind him. He slowly closed his green eyes.

  
 _Haruka smiled softly at those words and raised a hand. He softly brushed Makoto’s cheek with his thumb and then moved some strands of hair out of his face with his forefingers.  
  
Makoto sighed, looking at Haruka; he noticed the smile instantly, and couldn’t help but wonder why he was smiling.  
  
“We,” Haruka spoke softly as usual, “And by ‘we’, I mean the other seniors and I, we don’t want you to give up on him either.”  
  
“Huh?”_

  
Makoto’s eyes opened slightly. He heard the train chime the name of the next stop—his stop—and he shifted uncomfortably. It was one of the more popular stops, since it was for the mall, and he knew he’d eventually see his uncle soon. He felt like he was going to be swept away. He patted his pocket, making sure he had what little belongings he was kidnapped with.  
  
The train shifted slightly.  
  
He was seated, but other passengers shook a little where they were. It was odd for the trains to shake so much and he silently mused a thought about how the entire train would veer off the rails, tumble to the side, crash and burn, and he along with it. Sighing, he shook the morbid thought out of his head. There was no point in being negative, even if he was sad. It still sucked, though. He had to try to keep positive, he nodded to himself, and if he could do that then that’s all that mattered.

  
 _Makoto tilted his head to the side, “Do you guys have a plan?”  
  
“Not yet,” Haruka’s eyes shifted to the side as he pursed his lips, “But… We’ll figure it out, don’t worry.”  
  
“Could I…” Makoto felt his cheeks redden, “Give you something to give him?”_

  
The train stopped and Makoto rose from his seat. He pushed himself in the crowd filtering out and made his way through the station, eventually making it to the connected mall. He looked around and sighed, “Never thought I would prefer being confined to one room…”  
  
He reached in his coat pocket and read the instructions. He was supposed to go to a cafe. It was a local place, small, inconspicuous, or so he’d been told. He walked around, looking at the small shops he passed by. Sighing, Makoto’s eyes eventually fell on it; it was only then he realised he was still silently hoping the cafe didn’t exist and he could go back to Iwatobi.  
  
Pursing his lips, he entered and was eventually seated at a table. He ordered an iced drink, not really caring what it was, but the server smiled at him sweetly nonetheless. He smiled back, or tried to, as he looked around. He was early, as intended, which meant it was time for the waiting game. Makoto tried not to groan, but he oh so badly wanted to. He eventually got his drink, thanking the server automatically and raised it to his lips. He tasted it and decided it was decent. Though, he was pretty sure anything he was given would be decent in the state he was in.  
  
“Makoto!”  
  
Makoto looked up and saw his uncle running towards him.  
  
A man in his late fifties, the same tall height Makoto was, though with a bit of a hunchback. His hair and eyes were the same colour, though both were greying slightly from age.  
  
Makoto put the drink down and, finally, a smile broke on his lips—a real one. He slipped out of the booth and rose up. Instantly, he felt the man’s big arms around him and he couldn’t help but hug back. The hug was tight, very tight, and Makoto held it for several seconds before he eventually broke away.  
  
Yamato sighed in relief before looking around. “Where are the people? The ones who brought you?”  
  
“They’re not here,” Makoto explained as he scratched the back of his head. “They dropped me off at a bus stop, gave me money for the fare… they wanted to, limit contact.” Which wasn’t necessarily a lie, but he was silently wondering if it was from Yamato or himself that they were limiting contact with.  
  
Yamato nodded with a slight frown, “I see.” Instantly, he smiled again, brightly, “Oh well, I’m just glad you’re okay. Did they treat you right?”  
  
“Yeah, surprisingly,” Makoto admitted as his eyes looked away… 

  
_“Here,” Makoto put down his pen and handed the slip of paper to Haruka.  
  
“Would you mind if I read it?” Haruka took it and folded it, before slipping it into his suit pocket. “I think… Nagisa would rip it apart anything I give him now; do you trust me to hold onto it, until the time’s right?”  
  
Makoto nodded with a smile, “Yeah, to both. I trust you, Haruka.”_

  
“Makoto?”  
  
“Huh?” Makoto blinked, realising he zoned out. Scratching the back of his head again, he chuckled nervously. “Sorry… They had a bag over my head most of the time, but they let me eat and shower, and sleep. It wasn’t the best, but it could have been worse… I wish it didn’t have to happen at all, but I’m just glad it’s over.”  
  
Yamato nodded and clasped his hands together. “Well, your parents are coming over tonight, with Ren and Ran. Your mom and dad are worried sick, but we didn’t tell the little ones. Anyway, we’ll have the chefs make whatever you want for dinner—You’re home now.”  
  
Makoto forced a smile and nodded, “Thank you… Um, I guess I just want… mac’ and cheese?”  
  
Yamato blinked, pausing for a moment, before he laughed loudly. “Then macaroni and cheese it is!”  
  
“And mackerel in it.”  
  
“Eh?”

  
  
~ ~ ~

  
  
Back in the senior lounge, they’d managed to convince Nagisa to take the day off. Rin was sitting on a couch, rubbing his hands together with pursed lips. On the adjacent couch was Nitori, staying as small as he could. Across from Rin, was Kou, who was smoothing out her skirt slowly. And adjacent to her, across from Nitori, was Haruka and Rei, sitting on the same couch.  
  
Kou sighed, looking around. “So what’s this about… Nagisa?” It was obvious since he was the only one absent.  
  
“Yeah,” Rin answered. “We’re worried about him.”  
  
Rei nodded, “We know what’s going on, and we know what we should do, but we have no idea of what the best course of action is. Rin mentioned you and Nagisa have known each other for a long time?”  
  
Kou nodded. “We went to preschool together, then elementary, then middle school and high school. We’ve been best friends since we were kids… though,” she kept a small smile, “Lately he doesn’t talk to me too much, but I know we’re still close friends.”  
  
“But right now he’s not talking to anyone,” Haruka pointed out.  
  
Kou nodded, pursing her lips. “Nagisa… Nagisa, he’s such a handful. He’s the type of person who… needs to talk about his feelings to understand them. He’s usually pretty open about how he feels and he’s easy to talk to… but…” Looking around, she eyed each of them. “What’s going on? Why is he depressed?”  
  
Nitori nodded, “Yeah… I don’t think we can help if we don’t know what’s going on.”  
  
Rin looked to Rei.  
  
Rei took the prompt and cleared his throat: “In short, Nagisa has developed feelings for Tachibana.”  
  
“The hostage?” Kou blinked.  
  
“Yes,” Rei nodded, “And Tachibana has developed feelings for Nagisa as well; however, with the case being over Nagisa feels a relationship can’t be held without endangering Iwatobi, due to exposure to Yamato Tachibana.”  
  
“But…” Nitori raised an eyebrow, “But… um, s-sorry, nevermind.”  
  
Rin looked at him and offered a smile, “Just speak your mind.”  
  
“I just,” Nitori pursed his lips, “I mean I don’t know Nagisa at all… but that doesn’t sound like something he’d say.”  
  
“It’s not,” Kou shook her head. “It has nothing to do with Iwatobi…” Rising to her feet, she smoothed her skirt.  
  
Rin frowned, “Where are you going?”  
  
“I need to talk to him,” Kou said hastily, “This is… This is bullshit!” She noticed each of them being shocked by her word choice, so she muttered a small “Sorry” before crossing her arms.  
  
Rei blinked, “I don’t quite follow…”  
  
“Nagisa…” Nitori spoke tentatively, “It’s just… this sounds so, I don’t know… They love each other but they can’t because of work, but… Nagisa, he… he’s the type that shoots someone if they don’t make him happy… They could be a valuable asset to Iwatobi, but if their face looks funny he puts a bullet in it.”  
  
“It’s an excuse,” Kou muttered. “I have to go, I have to see him, talk to him, knock some sense into that senseless brain of his.”  
  
“And how are you going to do that?” Rin’s eyes narrowed, “Last time you tried to ‘Knock some sense into him’ he ended up in the hospital.”  
  
Nitori, Rei, and Haruka all blinked.  
  
Kou sighed, “That was different, onii-chan. Just trust me, okay? I know Nagisa… he’s smart, but a bit dense, and when he gets worked up about something, emotionally… you really have to be direct with him. That’s why you brought me here, right? Because you trust me?”  
  
“Of course,” Rei nodded.  
  
Haruka nodded as well, silently.  
  
Rin sighed, pursing his lips. “Fine.”  
  
“Okay,” she smiled, “Then I’ll get going.”  
  
Rei stood up as well, “I’m going with you.”  
  
“No,” Haruka said firmly.  
  
Rei blinked then looked around. Slowly, he slinked back into his seat.  
  
Haruka slipped out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “It’s a short letter, from Makoto. He left it for Nagisa, in hopes of saving what they had.”  
  
Kou took the piece of paper slowly and nodded.

  
  
~ ~ ~

  
  
The first thing she did was make her way to the city. The dormitory/brothel they used as their headquarters was hidden in the nooks of a residential area. It was a walk to the station, then a short train ride to the city. Getting off, she made her way down the streets. She took in a deep breath as she turned into Nagisa’s apartment and went up the stairs, and eventually to his door. She raised her hand before banging it on the door several times.  
  
“Go away.”  
  
She continued beating the butt of her fist against the door until she heard footsteps on the other side. Straightening her posture, she mentally prepared herself as the door opened.  
  
Nagisa was in a grey hoodie and loose pink boxers as he blinked, “Kou?”  
  
Kou gently moved her hair out of her eyes with one hand, making sure Nagisa’s dark pink eyes were following that movement as her other hand moved to the side. Gripping the gun, she pulled it out of the holster and pushed it against Nagisa’s chest.  
  
“K-Kou?”  
  
“Shut up,” she said softly as she stepped in, pushing Nagisa back; his footsteps matching hers. She used her foot to close the door behind her and continued to push him through the small apartment until they made their way to the tiny kitchen. Pushing him up against the fridge, she spoke softly: “Let’s talk.”  
  
“O-oh-kay,” Nagisa blinked, raising hands slightly in a defensive manner.  
  
“You’re a little selfish idiot with a messed up personality. But you know, that’s why we like you. You’re an asshole, at times a complete jerk, but you’re funny and you get to the point, and the one thing you understand more than anything else is _people_.”  
  
“Okay,” Nagisa agreed without really knowing what was going on. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.  
  
“That’s why,” Kou spoke in her collected voice, “You’re going to tell me what’s wrong. If we don’t do this the easy way, I’ll drag it out of you. Got it?”  
  
Nagisa’s lips turned to thin lines as his dark pink eyes looked up to her’s. “Nothing’s wrong.”  
  
Kou flicked off the safety. “You’re a liar. I already know the answer; I already know what’s wrong—It’s the same one it’s always been. So say it. Say it. I want to hear it from your mouth. Again.”  
  
“Tch,” Nagisa sighed, looking away.  
  
“Well?”  
  
“Well… blueberries.”  
  
“What?”  
  
Nagisa used that moment of confusion to grab the gun.  
  
“Shit!” Kou’s eyes widened. She felt a hand on her wrist and tried to fight back.  
  
Wresting over it, Nagisa gave Kou a shove and aimed the gun at her with both hands. “Stay back.” His eyes narrowed, “Why are you doing this?”  
  
“Well,” Kou offered a sincere smile, “Someone has to.”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes continued to narrow as he noticed her demeanor. “This… this gun isn’t loaded, is it?”  
  
Kou only chuckled.  
  
Sighing, Nagisa threw it to the kitchen counter behind him, next to the fridge and slowly began to reach for a glass cup.  
  
Kou’s eyes widened.  
  
Nagisa whipped his arm forward, throwing the glass through the air.  
  
Kou moved to the side, dodging it and watching as it shattered like dust, into thousands of pieces. She knew Nagisa’s tactic; however, her red eyes moved to the blond and then the table. She swiped a plate and whirled it through the kitchen, stopping Nagisa mid-charge.  
  
Nagisa yelped as he made his body as thin as possible and threw his arms in the air. The plate shattered behind him and he pouted, “Cunt!” He charged in, raising a fist to punch her.  
  
Kou stayed calm and shifted her feet in a blur, changing position quickly before bringing up a knee—smashing it into Nagisa’s stomach. Kou instantly followed up with bringing her arm up, ramming her elbow right onto Nagisa’s neck with enough force to pin him against the fridge. “You’re going to say it, Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa winced, grabbing her elbow as he struggled for air. Moving his hand, he collided a fist against her stomach.  
  
Kou felt air forced out of her as she took couple steps back. Eyes moving to the floor, she noticed a small glint of light and dropped down low enough for her hand to scoop up something. Whipping her hand, she tossed a shard of broken glass.  
  
As it cut through the air, Nagisa suddenly gave the girliest scream as it slashed his cheek. He placed a hand over the cut and felt his hands become wet with the feel of blood. His eyes narrowed, “Ow, you bitch!” Without thinking, he moved forward and grabbed the back of her head, fingers curling a death grip in her hair as he yanked, hard.  
  
Kou screamed and moved her right hand up; with her nails, she scratched along his arm, leaving five white lines on him.  
  
Nagisa instantly let go and whined.  
  
Kou twisted her body and shoved her foot against Nagisa’s chest.  
  
Nagisa was thrown back from the force and hit the fridge; losing his footing, he slipped and his back crashed against the kitchen floor. He hissed as he felt the shards of the broken plate and glass pierce his back and he was thankful for the thick hoody. Some protection was better than none, of course.  
  
Kou moved on top of him, hands grabbing Nagisa’s arms and keeping them down. “Say it!”  
  
“No!” Nagisa growled as he rolled over, pushing Kou onto the floor and moving on top of her in one fluid motion. He moved his hands to her throat, squeezing.  
  
Kou’s eyes widened as she realised her breathing stopped. She couldn’t even register the pain from the broken bits and shards beneath her. She winced, closing one eye before she threw her arm forward, colliding her elbow with Nagisa’s face, pulling back, and doing it again. Using both hands, she shoved Nagisa hard enough that he toppled backwards.  
  
Nagisa rolled along the kitchen floor and eventually scrambled to his feet, then moved to the other room.  
  
“Shit!” Kou got up as well—if Nagisa got to the bedroom, he’d get a gun—she chased him and closed the distance. She yanked the back of his shirt; and, with force, she pulled him back, throwing him back on the floor. Whirling her foot above her, she brought the heel of her boots against his stomach.  
  
Nagisa screamed in pain, rolling over as he coughed violently. He squished his eyes closed and tasted blood in his mouth. With shaking limbs, he slowly got to his feet and looked at Kou. He was breathing heavily.  
  
Kou was doing the same, not breaking eye contact. “Say it. Say it; say it or I’ll kill you. Nagisa,” she shouted, “I’m not fucking kidding around, do you hear me?”  
  
Nagisa clutched his stomach, trying not to vomit. “Why… why are you doing this, to me?”  
  
“We’re worried about you,” Kou muttered simply, eyes closing for half a second before opening again.  
  
Nagisa swallowed hard, fingers trembling. “Why?”  
  
“You fucking idiot,” Kou sighed. Breathing heavily through her nose, she shook her head. “We’re… we’re practically family, you know? I mean, after mom and dad… And I mean, your parents…”  
  
Nagisa visibly stiffened, “Don’t…”  
  
“Sorry,” Kou sighed, shaking her head, “But you know what I mean. Iwatobi, for most of us, it’s all we have left. And we care about you, is that so hard to understand? They… they are so worried about you, right now. Haruka, Rin, Rei, even Nitori. We, talked about this, together. We decided that I would be the one to make the best decision on how to deal with you.”  
  
“And this is your great idea?”  
  
“Yeah,” Kou breathed, “They… don’t know you like I do. No, that’s not it… they don’t know _this_ you like I do. The one who pushes people away. The one who freezes up. They don’t know how to deal with this sort of shit, so I have to do it.”  
  
Nagisa scowled, “By attacking me!?”  
  
“You’re so damn dense!” Kou swiped her arms to the side, “It’s the only way to get through that thick head of yours!”  
  
“N-no,” Nagisa’s eyes widened, “That’s not true!”  
  
“Then say it!”  
  
“No!”  
  
Kou dashed forward; her hand shot forward and latched around Nagisa’s neck, squeezing and lifting him off the ground as her nails began to break the skin of his throat.  
  
Nagisa realised he was in trouble when his toes couldn’t touch the ground anymore and he grabbed Kou’s hand with both arms, trying to pull it off. Eyes looked around and he reached for a vase. Grabbing it, he smashed it against the side of Kou’s head.  
  
She screamed, instantly letting go as she grabbed her head, feeling her skull bleeding. She moved forward launching a quick punch into Nagisa’s stomach with her right hand, then followed it up with a hard left hook across Nagisa’s face.  
  
The force of the second punch sent him walking backwards until he was up against the bathroom door. He breathed heavily, wincing in pain.  
  
Kou whipped blood off her mouth and scowled, “Say it!”  
  
Nagisa’s hand moved to the knob of the bathroom door and he twisted it. Forcing it open, he turned around and pulled out the drawer—trying to find something he could use as a weapon—Nagisa was never good at hand-to-hand like Kou was. Realising there was nothing, he looked up to the bathroom mirror and saw Kou right behind him; suddenly, his hair was yanked.  
  
A tuft of blond hair in her fist, Kou sent Nagisa forward, crashing his forehead against the mirror, sending ripples of cracks through the reflective surface. She yanked his head again then threw him to the floor.  
  
As Nagisa was pushed to the floor, his arm swiped the counter, bringing several things down with him.  
  
Kou instantly jumped on top of him. “Say it!” she shouted violently as her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets at any second.  
  
Nagisa looked around for something and managed to grab two toothbrushes, one in each hand, and held them like daggers in reverse grip. He began attacking her with them.  
  
“Ow!” Kou frowned, grabbing his ‘weapons’ and throwing them behind her, hearing them hit the wall and echo in the small bathroom. She raised a hand and brought her fist down, punching Nagisa in the face.  
  
“Owwieee!” He shoved her hard, throwing her off of him and turned over. He tried to scramble to his feet but he felt Kou shove him back down again. He tried to wiggle free, but his arms were yanked back and the sound of something locking was heard. He didn’t have to look behind him to know there were metal cuffs binding his wrists together. Leave it to Kou to bring something like that. He forced a smile, “If you were a guy, this position would be kind of kinky.”  
  
“But I’m not,” Kou’s eyes narrowed. “It’s over Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa retorted by moving his legs, but in his position it was futile. Sighing, he growled and wiggled, before giving up.  
  
“Nagisa,” Kou whispered, “We care about you, okay?”  
  
Nagisa’s breathing was heavy and he pushed his forehead against the cool tiles. He blinked his eyes when he saw red drip between the small spaces and sighed.  
  
“Say it.”  
  
“I…”  
  
“Nagisa.”  
  
“I’ll say it,” Nagisa closed his eyes, “I’m… scared.”  
  
“Good,” Kou smiled.  
  
“I… I’m scared when I think of the future. It makes me, freeze up, and I can’t really think, so I just kind of, try not to think, try not to feel… And that’s not, what I should be doing. There, I said it. I hope you’re happy, bitch.”  
  
“Almost,” Kou said in a playful tone, “But what are you going to do about it?”  
  
“I’m… going to do, what’s right for me.”  
  
Kou sighed out of relief and shook her head. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be,” Nagisa grumbled, “It’s coming out of your paycheck.”  
  
Kou raised an eyebrow, until she realised he was referring to the damage on his property. She chuckled and shook her head. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll pay for it. But, what I mean is… I’m sorry, for hitting you. I don’t like doing this, you know. We’re still best friends. Even if you’re busy with other things, you know I’m always here to beat you up.”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa spoke dryly, “Love you too, you dirty whore—now take these cuffs off and call Rei; I’ve probably got shards of glass shoved up my ass with you being such a vicious bitch.”  
  
Kou giggled as she undid the cuffs, nodding to herself. “You packed a good punch too, though, but I won.”  
  
“Always do,” Nagisa pouted.  
  
“In a week, when you’re on a date with Tachibana, you’ll be saying ‘thank you for beating me up, Kou’.”  
  
“Gou!”  
  
Kou grabbed a fistful of blond hair and shoved Nagisa’s face against the cold floor. “I already shot you once over that, don’t make me do it again.”  
  
“Fine,” Nagisa sighed. “Hm… Mako-chan… I, want to see him.”  
  
She smiled softly at that.  
  
“Hey, Kou?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Could you do something for me?”  
  
“Anything.”  
  
“Get the fuck off me.”  
  
“Oh, sorry.”


	11. Part 9: Mako-chan

Rin was not impressed.  
  
That was the only way to describe his reaction when he saw the state of Nagisa’s apartment.  
  
Rei had initially freaked out, shooting question after question, but he calmed down when Haruka told him to. After sitting Nagisa down in front of him, Rei grabbed a tweezer and began to take out the bits of glass and whatnot that pierced the side of Nagisa’s back. He gave a small sigh as he sat behind a half-naked Nagisa, pulling out a large piece of glass.  
  
Nagisa winced before he chuckled.  
  
Kou laughed as well.  
  
Rin was scowling, arms crossed, looking out the window. He was silent with a death-glare, aiming at no one in particular.  
  
Haruka stood at the centre of the room, looking at Nagisa and Rei. In the distance, there was the sound of juniors vacuuming and cleaning up the mess, Nitori among them. “So,” Haruka muttered, only because the lack of dialogue was bugging even him, “I’m pretty sure everyone’s confused as fuck.” His blue eyes flicked to Kou, “What did you do?”  
  
Rin kept a low growl in the back of his throat. “I knew this was going to happen…”  
  
Kou only chuckled.  
  
Rei’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t believe this is a laughing matter.”  
  
“Rei,” Nagisa looked over his shoulder, “Be easy on her, okay?”  
  
“Ah, yes… sir.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Kou couldn’t stop her smile, “We just got into a small argument, that’s all.”  
  
“Small,” Rin grumbled, “Small she says.”  
  
Haruka pursed his lips and looked at Nagisa.  
  
Nagisa gave a little nod to him, then looked at Rin. “Hey, why don’t you take Ai-chan for a milkshake?”  
  
Rin blinked, turning to look at the blond. “What?”  
  
“You’re upset, I know… I’m… I’m sorry. It’s been stressful for everyone, and the fact that it’s Kou’s just got you all worked up. But it’s okay now, it’s over.” Nagisa smiled, “You’re a hard worker and you’ve always been good to Iwatobi, so take some time off okay? You’re really worked up, so… do something for yourself for a bit. You more than deserve it, RinRin.”  
  
Rin blinked again, “Sure…” He was slightly stunned, since it was the first _real_ compliment Nagisa had given him in a while. “Thanks…” He moved away from the window and stepped into the living room, “Nitori.”  
  
“Y-yes, Senpai?”  
  
“Rin,” he corrected, “Come on, new assignment.”  
  
After hearing the door close, Haruka looked to Kou and sighed. “I don’t know what happened, but whatever you did worked. So, good job.”  
  
Kou smiled, “Thank you.”  
  
Rei nodded, “I don’t agree with your methods, but they proved the most successful. That… makes me happy.”  
  
Nagisa looked down, wincing as Rei pulled something from his back. “I… really worried you guys, huh?”  
  
Haruka nodded, crossing the distance. “Nagisa… Even when things get tough, you smile so the rest of us can too. I guess… we all just got used to that smile.”  
  
“I agree,” Rei nodded, “I don’t want to live without it either—no matter how twisted or perverted it is at times, your smile is beautiful and it’s scary to see you without it.”  
  
Nagisa felt his cheeks warm slightly and he smiled softly.  
  
Figuring it was the best time, Kou reached in her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, before handing it to Nagisa. “It’s from your boyfriend.”  
  
“B-boyfriend,” Nagisa blinked in confusion as he took it. “He gave it to you?”  
  
“Gave it to me,” Haruka admitted, “And I gave it to Kou, to give to you.”  
  
Kou nodded, “I just threw punches instead.”  
  
Nagisa looked at the slip of paper and unfolded it.  
  
Rei curiously looked over the blond’s shoulder.  
  
Kou couldn’t help but look as well.  
  
Haruka turned around, looking out the window Rin was looking out only a minute ago. He saw the entire city from the view and then looked over his shoulder.  
  
Nagisa’s hands squeezed the page, crumpling the sides. He read each word, then slowly closed his eyes. “Oh…” He opened his dark pink eyes again and folded the letter up again.  
  
Rei looked down, “Nagisa?”  
  
Haruka looked at him curiously.  
  
Kou smiled softly.  
  
“I… I want to…” Nagisa took a deep breath, pausing for a moment, “I want to see Mako-chan.”  
  
Haruka smiled.  
  
Rei nodded.  
  
Kou blinked, “But how are you going to get in contact with him?”  
  
“I’m going to uh, ah, uh, hmmm….” Nagisa pursed his lips.  
  
After a small pause, Rei adjusted his glasses, “I can be off assistance in that regard.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Rin was quite pissed. The compliment helped but it just reminded him of how weird everything got since Makoto got kidnapped. Things were changing, and not in a bad way… but it just made him so uneasy and he didn’t understand why. He continued walking down the street, a couple blocks away from Nagisa’s apartment, eyes glaring at anyone who had the misfortune of walking on the same sidewalk as him.  
  
“Um, Rin?” Nitori looked up as he followed the redhead, “What’s our new assignment?”  
  
“We’re buying you a milkshake,” Rin grumbled.  
  
Nitori tilted his head, “Huh? Well… at least that sounds like Nagisa. As long as he’s back to the Nagisa we all know… I guess I don’t mind his weird assignments.”  
  
Rin looked over his shoulder to the grey haired teen and he sighed. He knew Nitori had a point, but Kou… He grumbled something else and decided to take his mind off of it. “Ai,” he said simply as he moved his elbow out a little.  
  
Nitori blinked, cheeks flushing as he was wondering if that’s what Rin actually meant. Tentatively, he rested a hand on Rin’s forearm, moving closely. His cheeks burned slightly, but he tried not the think about it. It was almost like they were… dating, this way. The thought made Nitori smile and he looked up. “Y-you don’t have to buy me a milkshake, if you don’t want to…”  
  
“I want to,” Rin admitted. “I don’t mind. It’s fine.”  
  
Nitori smiled nonetheless. He used to think Rin’s dismissive tone was used for dismissal, but he found out that wasn’t quite right: Rin dismissed something when he was nervous, shy or embarrassed about it. Or, at least that’s what he got. It had only been a couple weeks since they got to really know each other. Nitori looked up, noting redness on Rin’s cheeks and he couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked away. “Hey, Rin… are you mad at your sister? For attacking Nagisa?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Well—”  
  
“No,” Rin corrected, frowning. “I don’t know. I’m just confused and I really don’t know if I can deal with this. I just want to punch her in the face, then punch Nagisa in the face, then probably punch Haruka and Rei and all the juniors in the face, then punch Tachibana in the face.”  
  
Nitori blinked, “Do you want to punch me in the face?”  
  
“No,” Rin said a little _too_ quickly and he looked to the side. “You’re fine. I’m not angry at you.”  
  
Nitori chuckled. Tentatively, he pushed his forehead against Rin’s arm as they walked, smiling to himself. “Rin, did Nagisa send you to buy me a milkshake because you don’t want to punch me in the face?”  
  
“Yeah,” Rin sighed, nodding. “I’ll get over it eventually… I just needed some air, being in there with them wasn’t helpful and I wasn’t needed. I’m… happy you’re here, with me.”  
  
Nitori grinned, “I’m happy I’m here, with you.” When he got no reply, he worriedly looked up. But he noticed the same redness in Rin’s cheeks that were in his own and he smiled.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Back in the senior lounge, Rei crashed on one of the sofas and pushed his face into his hands. “I don’t understand why some people require violence for things like that.”  
  
Haruka stepped in after Rei, hearing the door close behind him. He offered a small smile and stepped forward, “You work in a crime organisation and you don’t understand violence?”  
  
“It’s different…” Rei raised his head and sighed. “When we’re doing our thing, our intent is chaos, and when intent is chaos, violence is always the best route. But… I don’t understand, why would Kou use that against Nagisa? I don’t understand it!”  
  
Haruka stepped forward before taking a seat next to him. He chuckled softly and placed a hand on Rei’s knee.  
  
Rei blinked, “Haruka?”  
  
“People… are all different,” Haruka spoke softly, as he always did, “What works for one person doesn’t work for another. I’m not saying that justifies Kou’s actions, but… Think of it this way, Nagisa’s always on top.”  
  
“Always on top?”  
  
“Not sexually.”  
  
Rei’s cheeks went red, “I-I know that!”  
  
“You do?”  
  
Rei’s cheeks went even redder, “Ack!”  
  
Haruka chuckled softly and shook his head, “Sorry.” He was actually a little sorry for teasing Rei. “What I meant was… Nagisa’s the head of Iwatobi. We all listen to him, work under him. Not only that, but our jobs are always full of aggression and the possibility for death is always there. On top of it all, Nagisa is known to kill people who get in his way. From our position, we have no way to challenge Nagisa on something he doesn’t want to talk or think about.”  
  
“Oh,” Rei suddenly blinked. “So what you’re saying is… If Nagisa doesn’t want to hear it, he’s _not_ going to hear it.”  
  
Haruka nodded.  
  
Rei pursed his lips. He remained still for a moment before throwing his arms in the air and pressing his back against the sofa. “I…! I…” he sighed, “I don’t know how I feel about everything. I was worried for Nagisa, and I’m happy he’s back, but I can’t just say the past is in the past and pretend that nothing happened!”  
  
“It was necessary,” Haruka explained as he leaned back, pushing his back against Rei’s chest.  
  
Rei blinked at the subtle touch and eventually cleared his throat. “I suppose it was… I don’t, I don’t understand how something like _that_ could be—”  
  
“It was,” Haruka looked over his shoulder, “I know you’re not happy about it, but… Sometimes, you need to be direct with people.”  
  
“That’s true,” Rei agreed, still frowning. “I don’t know… I don’t know anything.” He sighed, “I guess I’ll just do what Nagisa asked me to; the sooner he and Tachibana end up seeing each other, the sooner they’ll be happy, I guess.”  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow.  
  
Rei avoided eye contact.  
  
“Makoto,” Haruka spoke softly, “You don’t like him, do you?”  
  
“No,” Rei cleared his throat. “I don’t like him, not at all… but, to be fair, I don’t know him very well either.”  
  
“I think you two would get along, same with Rin,” Haruka smiled. “You guys just have to properly meet him.”  
  
Rei raised an eyebrow then shrugged, “I’ll take your word for it, for now.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Three days had passed since Kou’s attack on the apartment, though none of that was known to Makoto.   
  
Makoto was busy trying to force the thoughts of Nagisa out of his mind, those soft lips, sweet kisses, those hands on his body… the way he’d sit in his lap, those eyes, that soft hair, that cute chuckle… Makoto sighed, wondering if it was futile. Sure, he had crushes on people before, but… He shook his head, trying not to think of it. He had things to do, of course.  
  
He was among the group of students filtering out of the school and had his bag over his shoulder. He’d missed a lot with his classes, but all his teachers were being extremely kind to him, even the ones that weren’t usually kind. It was almost scary, but he knew it was because the whole school knew he’d been kidnapped. It was on the news, after all. He’d been asked a lot of questions, but he just told most people he didn’t want to talk about it, which was the truth after all. He didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t even want to think about it. Every time somebody mentioned it, the flash of that sweet face and those dark pink eyes, and that pretty little smile came to his mind and he wanted it to go away.  
  
He wanted to move on.  
  
With a sorry sigh, he started walking home. Usually he’d walk home with a couple people who were going the same direction, but he couldn’t bother to wait for them. He just wanted to go home, curl up in bed and…  
  
Nagisa?  
  
He stopped right where he was.  
  
Down the street there was a bench, and sitting on it was a blond boy with dark pink eyes, looking up to the sky, and kicking his legs impatiently.  
  
Makoto blinked, wondering if he was seeing things. Slowly, tentatively, he stepped closer.  
  
Nagisa turned his head absent-mindedly, and soon his eyes landed on Makoto. A huge smile forming on his lips, he kicked off the bench and closed the distance. “Mako-chan!” He had his arms behind his back, hands nervously fumbling together as he chuckled.  
  
Makoto blinked once, twice, three times. The next thing he did surprised even him. He leaned down, scooping up the blond into a hug and squeezing tight.  
  
“Mako…-chan?”  
  
Makoto closed his eyes softly, nuzzling the space where Nagisa’s neck and shoulder met. He closed his eyes, taking in his scent and giving a relaxed sigh.  
  
Nagisa slowly moved his arms around the brunet’s neck, smiling into the small moment.  
  
Makoto eventually moved away, looking for some kind of answer in those dark amethyst hues. “Nagisa? It’s you, right?”  
  
Nagisa tilted his head slightly, smiling, “Do I look that different?”  
  
“Sorry,” Makoto looked away, chuckling nervously. He looked back, but his eyes noticed a Band-Aid on Nagisa’s cheek. Without thinking, he brought up a hand, cupping Nagisa’s face and very gently moved his thumb over the Band-Aid. He leaned in slowly and pushed a small kiss onto the boo boo as he was used to doing.  
  
Nagisa chuckled, closing his eyes when he was kissed, and then looking at him again. “Mamma-Mako-chan!”  
  
Makoto’s cheeks burned as he realised what he did and he swallowed hard. “S-sorry…”  
  
“No,” Nagisa shook his head, “Don’t be. I… I liked it, I um. I like you, when you’re being you.”  
  
Makoto suddenly smiled. “I like you too,” he whispered before pushing his lips on Nagisa’s other cheek. “So… are you here to kidnap me again?”  
  
Nagisa blinked, “N-no…” He almost looked slightly hurt.  
  
“Aww,” Makoto sounded disappointed, “I was kind of hoping I’d get to spend more time with you.”  
  
“Hmm, maybe you just like being kidnapped!” Nagisa’s lips burst into full smile as he looked up, “We can still spend time together, though!”  
  
Makoto grinned and nodded, “I’d… I’d like that. A lot.”  
  
“Me, me too,” Nagisa nodded.  
  
“Um…” Makoto looked around, noting the bench. He took Nagisa hand softly, feeling their fingers curl around one another and his cheeks warmed. He pulled Nagisa towards the bench, so they weren’t just standing in the middle of a sidewalk. He took a seat and patted the area next to him.  
  
Nagisa, however, decided to take his usual place and hopped up on Makoto’s lap, smiling devilishly.  
  
Makoto chuckled, slipping his arms around the blond and pulling him closer. “I missed you.”  
  
“It’s only been a couple days!”  
  
“I know,” Makoto nodded, “But I… thought I’d never see you again, because, well, because you said…”  
  
“Forget that,” Nagisa interrupted, smile fading. “I… The others talked me out of it,” that wasn’t entirely how it happened, but Nagisa figured he’d send Makoto into Mother-Hen mode if he did, and while that was fine by him he had things he wanted to talk about, “And… yeah, I guess you should thank ‘em, but… I’m sorry Mako-chan. I… I mean, yeah, it’s dangerous, for us to be together, especially with your uncle, but I just want you to know… I mean, if you want. If you want to still sort of, you know, talk to me…” his cheeks began to burn as he looked away, “I’d sort of, like that too.”  
  
Makoto blinked, making a mental note to thank Haruka and he slipped a hand under Nagisa’s chin. He tilted the blond’s face towards him and didn’t care if he was in public; he leaned in, closing his eyes, and softly pressed their lips together.  
  
Nagisa’s eyes widened at first, but eventually let his eyelids shut. He kissed back, softly, trying to convey his feelings with movements. He wasn’t sure if it was working, but he slipped his arms around Makoto’s neck, bringing them closer.  
  
Makoto was lost in the kiss—all other thoughts seemed washed away in comparison to the present. He could feel Nagisa against him again; he could feel Nagisa’s lips against his again. What else could matter?  
  
Nagisa reminded himself to breathe through his nose and he moved his tongue forward, licking at the seams between their lips. Soon enough, he felt Makoto’s mouth open for him and he slowly moved tongue against tongue. His cheeks burned, his breathing turning heavier. He reclined one arm, gently using his hand to cup the side of Makoto’s face.  
  
Makoto’s tongue explored the blond’s mouth, being much more braver than ever before. He licked the other’s tongue, teeth, mouth, everything. The thought that this moment could have easily not happened made him cherish it. His arms were around Nagisa, pulling him even closer. All he wanted was more, more of Nagisa, more of the kiss, more of the moment.  
  
Nagisa felt his heart rate quicken and an uncontrollable urge to make him smile washed over him. He was happy. For the first time in a while, he was happy. Without thinking, he playfully captured Makoto’s lower lip between his teeth and gave it a little suckle.  
  
Makoto’s eyes opened and blinked before chuckling out of surprise. He closed his eyes again and was about to retaliate when something buzzed.  
  
Nagisa pulled away, cheeks flushing as he reached in his pocket. He pulled out his phone, then looked up, “Wasn’t mine.”  
  
Makoto blinked and then reached into his own pocket. He pulled out his phone and flicked it open, smile instantly fading.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Nothing,” Makoto sighed, “My uncle just asked what I wanted for dinner…”  
  
Nagisa smiled, “Well, does that mean I get to keep you until you have to go back?”  
  
Makoto blinked and looked up. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand and gave a small nod, “I guess it does. That’s a couple hours. What do you want to do?”  
  
“Besides make-out in public?” Nagisa teased before tilting his head, thinking to himself. “I don’t know… I’ve never been on a date.”  
  
“Never?”  
  
“Nope!”  
  
Makoto chuckled, “Well… me neither, really.”  
  
Nagisa suddenly smiled, “That’s right—I was your first kiss!”  
  
Makoto nodded, “And I’m glad it was you.”  
  
Nagisa blinked, cheeks warming even more and he instantly hugged Makoto tight. “You…”  
  
“Me?”  
  
“You… you’re the best boyfriend.”  
  
“Boyfriend?” Makoto’s eyes widened.  
  
Nagisa pulled back, looking down, then up. “Is it, okay for me… to call you that?”  
  
“Yes,” he replied instantly.  
  
Nagisa grinned, “Really?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yes,” Makoto punctuated it with a kiss on Nagisa’s cheek. “I want to be your boyfriend.”  
  
Nagisa swallowed hard and tried to fight back the incredible urge to smile.  
  
‘Tried’ being the key word.  
  
“Mako-chan, I…” Nagisa tilted his head, looking away. “I think…”  
  
“You think?”  
  
“I think…” he giggled, reminiscent of their previous conversation, “I think, I think I’m happy you’re my boyfriend.”  
  
Makoto smiled, pulling Nagisa close against him, hugging him tight.  
  
Nagisa pressed his forehead against Makoto’s collarbone and smiled. He felt something, so oddly warm inside him, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Makoto…”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Nagisa said with a smile. “I’m not… simple, and I’m not going to be easy to be with, I think I should give you a fair warning… I might not, be able to make you happy.”  
  
“Nagisa, I think the kidnapping was a fair warning. I know dating a boy who runs a crime organisation won’t be the easiest thing in the world, and I’m okay with that.” Makoto chuckled, “I know, this isn’t really normal or traditional… I also know, this probably won’t be just you and me. Haru explained it, that there might be other people…”  
  
Nagisa blinked, “And you’re okay with that?”  
  
“Sure,” he smiled, “It’s weird… it’s not what I thought would happen, but I don’t care as long as I get to spend time with you. That’s the important part.”  
  
Nagisa grinned, nuzzling into Makoto’s neck. “You’re… really sweet.”  
  
Makoto chuckled, squeezing Nagisa tightly.  
  
A breeze blew past, but neither of them moved. Holding on to each other, that’s all that mattered.  
  
Makoto suddenly moved his head back and looked at the blond. “How did you… find me, anyway?”  
  
“Rei got the juniors to do some research,” Nagisa grinned. “They put all the info together, and I just managed to find out what school you go to, what your school schedule is like and then which route you walk home, you know, simple things like that. Wasn’t that hard.”  
  
Makoto chuckled and kissed the corner of Nagisa’s mouth, “You creepy stalker.”  
  
Nagisa giggled, “You have no idea!”  
  
Makoto paled a little, and he silently decided he didn’t want to, either.


	12. Part 10: Moving Along

With the two or so hours they had together, until Makoto had to go back to his uncle’s place, they decided to go to a movie.  
  
Makoto figured that was the ‘default date option’, or at least that’s what other movies told him. He had no idea what was playing, but they settled on one that had a lot of hype and good high reviews. It was an action movie, with a female protagonist who was rather well-endowed in the chest and rear areas. That was probably where the reviews were coming from, since the plot was mediocre at best. Makoto was silently wondering if this was a bad idea; but, when he looked over, Nagisa seemed quite content.  
  
Probably not by the movie, though.  
  
He had lifted the arm rest between their seats and cuddled up on Makoto’s side.  
  
Makoto slipped an arm around him, pulling him closer.  
  
About forty or forty-five minutes in, Nagisa wasn’t that interested, but all the explosions on screen where making him somewhat playful. He rested a hand on Makoto’s knee, pausing to see if there would be a reaction.  
  
Makoto only smiled, thinking it was an innocent gesture.  
  
Nagisa’s lips curved into a dangerous smile, and he shifted his hands, dipping his fingers between Makoto’s knees.  
  
Makoto visibly stiffened, “N-Nagisa?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Um,” Makoto spoke in a hushed whisper. Even if there weren’t many people sitting around them, any sound would be loud in a movie theatre. “Nagisa… we’re… in public. We’re watching a movie…”  
  
“Uhuh,” Nagisa whispered back, “But big lady tits and crotch-shots aren’t really doing it for me… But, you are…” His hand slowly moved towards Makoto’s crotch and he grinned playfully. He looked around, seeing nobody took notice so far.  
  
“Uh, um,” Makoto swallowed hard, looking over to Nagisa. “Is this, really okay?”  
  
“Probably not legal,” Nagisa snickered, “But that doesn’t usually stop me… you know, Iwatobi and all. I’d like to have a little fun, Mako-chan. If you don’t want it, though…”  
  
“N-no, I do,” Makoto felt his cheeks burn.  
  
“You do, huh?”  
  
“Y-yeah…”  
  
Nagisa’s hands roamed closer to Makoto’s crotch and his eyes widened slightly when he felt something hard beneath the clothes. “Wow, I scored _big_ -time with you, huh?” His dark pink eyes sparkled, even in the dark, as he ran his fingers tentatively over the outline.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard, spine straightening. He let out a small noise.  
  
Nagisa tried to make his chuckle quiet as he looked up, nuzzling Makoto’s shoulder. “Never been touched before, huh?”  
  
“N-no…”  
  
“This seems like a good place for that kinda thing,” Nagisa grinned, keeping his voice low. There was something like a playful growl in the back of his throat as his hand shifted, grabbing the clothed outline.  
  
“Ah,” Makoto whispered, eyes going wide. He looked at Nagisa, then looked around out of paranoia.  
  
The female protagonist just had her shirt ripped and the majority of the audience were too focused on attempting to catch a nipple-slip to notice them.  
  
Nagisa moved his hand up and down the shaft, tilting his head as he wondered how many inches it was. He bit his lip, knowing off the bat it was bigger than Rin’s, and Rin was the biggest guy he’d been with. Snickering to himself, he stretched his neck and placed a soft kiss on Makoto’s neck, watching him instantly shiver. He playfully stuck his tongue out, rolling it over what skin he could reach.  
  
“N-Nagisa…”  
  
“Yes, Mako-chan?” His hand grabbed the manhood and gave it a playful squeeze.  
  
“Sh-shit…” Makoto instantly felt bad for swearing. His eyes looked up, focusing on the movie for now. He had a feeling that if he even _looked_ at Nagisa, he’d cum right then.  
  
“You like that, huh?”  
  
“Y-yeah…”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes scanned around, making sure there was nobody staring at him, before his nimble, tricky little fingers moved to Makoto’s zipper. He pulled it down, snickering to himself; he slipped his hand into the hole and felt Makoto’s hard-on, hugged by his boxer briefs.  
  
Makoto inhaled sharply, both arms and legs becoming stiff.  
  
Nagisa found the hole in Makoto’s boxers, and slipped inside. His fingertips brushed up against hair, trimmed, and Nagisa giggled. Moving down, he felt the base of Makoto’s cock and moved his fingers around it.  
  
Makoto continued to breathe heavily, looking around to make sure no one would notice.  
  
Nagisa chuckled as he pulled it out. Luckily, the movie screen flashed bright and it gave him enough light to see it in full. Nagisa softly bit his lower lip and made a pleased noise. He grabbed it, firmly, and slowly pulled down the hood, exposing the head.  
  
Makoto felt his toes curl on their own. Little tingles filled his fingers and he looked around, then to Nagisa.  
  
“Feel good?”  
  
“Y-yeah,” Makoto pursed his lips, not wanting to let out a moan that so badly wanted to be free.  
  
Nagisa snickered and began stroking the brunet, creating a rhythm.  
  
“Ah,” Makoto’s eyes snapped closed. He pushed his hips forward, knees moving apart slightly. “Shit…”  
  
Continuing to move his hand up and down, he scootched even closer to Makoto and grinned. He began speeding up his hand, giving a playful squeeze along the way.  
  
“Nff,” Makoto tried to keep his voice down and he closed his eyes. “Nagisa…” he whispered.  
  
Nagisa felt his knees tingle at the lusty voice Makoto was using for him. He looked around one more time before he moved his other hand between the brunet’s knees, pushing them apart. Then, he got out of his seat.  
  
“What are you…?—Nagisa!” he spoke in a hiss whisper, trying not to draw attention to them.  
  
Nagisa didn’t give a fuck: he moved onto his knees, between Makoto’s legs and pressed a soft kiss against the underside of the shaft.  
  
“N-Nagisa…”  
  
“I like it when you say my name,” he teased happily. He grabbed Makoto’s cock and began stroking it again, slowly at first. He brought his mouth closer, kissing the head.  
  
Makoto looked around desperately, thanking any higher forces that made sure nobody noticed them yet. “M-maybe we should stop…”  
  
Nagisa only chuckled. He playfully stuck out his tongue and licked up the underside.  
  
Makoto’s shoulders jerked forward and he brought one hand up to cover his mouth, cover the sounds threatening to spill out. It felt good, damn, that tongue… As much as he knew they should stop, he was so close already…  
  
Without warning, Nagisa pushed the head of Makoto’s cock in his mouth and gave a hard suck.  
  
“Ah!” Makoto said a little louder than he should have, but nobody seemed to notice. Luckily, it was the climax of the film. He knew they should stop, but he slipped a hand into Nagisa’s blond hair, gently cupping the back of his head. His fingers played through the messy blond strands of unruly hair.  
  
Nagisa began bobbing his mouth over the cock, pushing the cock in his mouth, gliding it over his tongue, then moving back. He used a hand to keep Makoto’s manhood where it was and flashed his dark pink eyes up, trying to see how Makoto was reacting.  
  
Makoto looked down into Nagisa’s eyes and he gasped. His mouth open, he softly pushed on the back of Nagisa’s head in the steady rhythm. He felt his chest tighten and his heart beat quickly, but all he could do was look down into Nagisa’s eyes. He shuddered out of pleasure, feeling the hot, wet mouth around his cock, feeling Nagisa’s tongue against the underside of his cock—the sweet spot—and those lips around his shaft. “I’m going to…”  
  
Nagisa snickered as he continued. He pushed the cock further into his mouth and took in another inch, and inch, and inch.  
  
Makoto’s other hand squeezed on the arm rest. His eyes squished closed and he pursed his lips, knowing that if one single noise left his mouth, it would be loud enough to make the whole theatre look at him.  
  
Nuzzling the base of Makoto’s cock, Nagisa smiled, quite proud that he managed to deep throat it so easily. Even if he practiced to stop his gag reflex, Makoto was bigger than any guy he’d been with. Moving his mouth back quickly, he slipped the cock out of his mouth and chuckled. He started stroking the slick cock with his hand and licked his lips.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard, opening his eyes. “Nagisa,” he said warningly, “I’m going to—”  
  
“Cum!” Nagisa said with a smirk.  
  
On command, Makoto felt his breathing stop. His throbbing cock twitched and his whole body squeezed, hitting bliss, before he released.  
  
Nagisa aimed the cock at his lips and managed to catch it all in his mouth, keeping eye contact as he did.  
  
“Nagisa,” he barely breathed as he whispered it out.  
  
Swallowing the load easily, Nagisa gave a couple more teasing licks before stuffing back the softening member into Makoto’s pants. He looked around nonchalantly before he got up and took his seat next to Makoto again. “Feel good?”  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto admitted, still somewhat drunk off the after-waves of pleasure. He slipped an arm around Nagisa, pulling him close. “You… You’re such a little troublemaker.”  
  
Nagisa snickered, “You’re welcome.”  
  
“But what about you?” Makoto looked at the screen, “Probably not enough time before the movie ends…”  
  
Nagisa snickered, moving a hand over Makoto’s. “Then why don’t we make this an I.O.U.?”  
  
Makoto raised his eyebrows and chuckled nervously. “For _some_ reason I feel like that’s really dangerous…”  
  
“It is!” Nagisa shouted.  
  
“Shh!” someone else hissed at them.  
  
“Oops,” Nagisa pursed his lips, forgetting he was in a movie theatre.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Nagisa opened the door to the senior lounge and walked in with a big, dorky smile on his face. “Oh, everyone’s here!”  
  
Haruka looked up from his phone and noted the smile. “How’d it go?”  
  
“Went well!” Nagisa admitted before crashing on the couch next to him, “My mouth still tastes like your husband-to-be’s cum. Wanna taste?”  
  
Haruka suddenly moved forward, pushing their lips together out of curiosity.  
  
“Eww,” Rin blinked as he watched the two of them. “I mean, I know you said you wanted to get married to the guy, but…”  
  
Nitori only chuckled out of disbelief.  
  
Haruka pulled back and gave a nod. “He’s definitely a swimmer.”  
  
Rei only blinked at that statement.  
  
Nagisa snickered and moved some hair out of his eyes. “Hey, guys… I just wanted to say, thanks. For everything.”  
  
Rin opened his mouth to say something witty, but the door opened and he turned his head.  
  
“Guys,” Kou said as she stepped in, holding the door. “We have someone here to see you.”  
  
“Goro-chan!” Nagisa bolted out of his seat and instantly tackled the taller blond.  
  
“Nagisa!” Goro Sasabe, a tall blond man in a suit, caught the flying Nagisa and hugged him tight. “How’s my favourite little nephew doing?”  
  
“Gooood!” Nagisa squeezed his uncle tight, “I just gave someone I like a really good blowjob!”  
  
“Oh…” The man nodded once, “That’s… always good.”  
  
Kou blinked before pushing her hand against her face and shaking her head. “Oh, Nagisa…”  
  
Several paces away, Nitori looked at Rin and nudged him softly. “Who’s he?”  
  
Rin looked down at the grey haired teen and scratched the back of his head. “He’s a member of the Yakuza,” he kept his voice low, “Also happens to be Nagisa’s uncle, second uncle, something. He’s one of the top guys… Crazy’s in the family, I guess.”  
  
Nitori lightly chuckled and gave a little nod.  
  
Nagisa eventually pulled away from Goro and walked over to the couches around the table. He figured it meant business. He gave Kou a little nod, knowing that one action told her what her orders would be.  
  
Kou nodded in return and closed the door behind her as she left.  
  
Goro took a seat and brought up his briefcase onto his lap. “From the reports you’ve given us, the news, and our own sources, I can say I’m really impressed Nagisa. Not bad for a group of nine.”  
  
“Eight,” Nagisa corrected with a wicked smile, “Lost a member.”  
  
“Oh well, sure you can find someone to replace him, or her.”  
  
“Probably,” Rei agreed, “But I we don’t have any need to expand.”  
  
Goro chuckled, “You guys really know your stuff. Not bad for the ‘Little Penguin Club’.”  
  
“Thank you,” Nagisa knew his uncle was looking at him, so he lowered his dark pink eyes to the briefcase then back up. It was a simple action, but it spelled out what he wanted to say: Why are you here?  
  
Goro chuckled and opened the briefcase. “Your payment, I was asked to personally deliver it, as well as check in on you guys. We know there aren’t many gun merchants or specialised sellers up here, and we want you guys well equipped.”  
  
Nagisa turned his head, “Rei has taken over for inventory. He’s probably the best person to ask.”  
  
Rei cleared his throat, “We don’t need anything right now, but I’ve heard there’s a new model for the sniper rifle that seems to be raving on reviews.”  
  
“Ah,” Goro nodded, “It’s a beauty, shots are dead accurate, but it jams. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. The Yakuza aren’t using it… Well, it’s up to the sniper, but the higher ups don’t want them using it and that’s pretty much the same thing.”  
  
Rei nodded. Jamming was not beautiful. “Hmmm, very well. Thank you.”  
  
“Anything else?”  
  
“Not that I can think of, no.”  
  
Goro looked over to Nagisa and pursed his lips. “We do have some bad news though, concerning Tachibana.”  
  
Nagisa moved back in his seat, not wanting to show how he felt.  
  
Haruka’s eyes glanced to Nagisa, before going back to Goro.  
  
“Apparently, he’s been snooping around… asking for information.” Goro sighed, “We figured if you kidnapped his nephew, made him bow out, he’d back down peacefully. That’s the kind of person he is.”  
  
“So,” Rin’s brows furrowed, “What exactly are you saying, Sir?”  
  
“Well,” Goro scratched the back of his head, “As of right now, it means nothing. But if he keeps this up, that puts both Iwatobi and the Yakuza in danger. It’s possible he’ll forget about it, or he won’t be able to find out any information about us anyway, but it’s also possible he’ll become a pest. If he does, I don’t think I have to tell you guys what you have to do.”  
  
“Of course not,” Nagisa chuckled. A fake chuckle, but he chuckled nonetheless. “I’m pretty sure the Yakuza are safe: Iwatobi’s the only one in danger. You’re just not admitting it because you know that would be saying you put us in danger.”  
  
Goro went quiet.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Nagisa grinned, “That’s part of the risk when we take a job. We’re not idiots, so we’d respect if you didn’t treat us that way… it wouldn’t do well for either of us if we said the Yakuza’s representative was disrespectful and insulting when he came to warn us, now would it?”  
  
“No,” Goro said through a tight jaw.  
  
“That’s what I thought.”  
  
Rin pursed his lips and looked between the two blond. “Well, thanks for warning us all the same…”  
  
“You’re welcome,” Goro turned his head, easily welcoming the change of topic. “Anyway, this,” he said as he placed the briefcase on the desk, “Is your payment. You’ll be happy with it… there was extra added, because we put Iwatobi at further risk.”  
  
“Truth comes out,” Nagisa giggled.  
  
Rei watched with calculative eyes. “Is there anything else we can help you with, Sir?”  
  
“No that’s it,” Goro smiled as he stood up.  
  
“Nitori,” Haruka looked up, “Help see him out, will you?”  
  
“Yes, Haruka-senpai!” Nitori instantly stood up.  
  
Rin almost pouted.  
  
Rei waited until Nitori and Goro left the room before turning to Nagisa. “What are we going to do?”  
  
“I want all members informed that someone is looking for them,” Nagisa replied quickly, “Make sure to cover our footsteps. I want all juniors to have their working days cut in half, pay kept the same. The less people we have coming to and from this building, the less chance they’ll find us. Goro-chan said that it’s possible he doesn’t find anything about us, or he’ll give up.”  
  
Haruka turned his head, “You believe that?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Yeah. He just got Mako-chan back a couple days ago, it’s all fresh in his mind. If that’s the problem, it’ll just go away with time.”  
  
“But,” Rin pursed his lips, “What happens if that’s not what it is? We did cost him his job as mayor, right? What if he comes at us with full force?”  
  
“Same thing we do to anyone who gets in our way,” Nagisa moved hair out of his eyes. “I… I was right, to cut ties with Mako-chan…” His hands moved to his knee and he squeezed the fabric of his pants. “But it’s too late for that…”  
  
Rin frowned, “What are you going to do with Makoto then?”  
  
“Makoto’s not directly involved,” Nagisa explained, “Makoto was just circumvention to dealing with Yamato Tachibana directly. If Yamato comes at us with full force or not, Makoto will be uninvolved. Our… well, our relationship might take a hit if it comes to the worst. Nothing quite says romance like killing someone’s uncle after all… But, if Yamato comes at us, we have to fight back. He’ll understand, I think.”  
  
Haruka pursed his lips.  
  
Rei sighed, “Your boyfriend aside, Nagisa, we should focus on Iwatobi before all else. Even if Iwatobi crumbles and we survive, the Yakuza will come after us. We know too much. It’s not like we can just run away to Mainland China—the Yakuza have contacts all over Asia.”  
  
“Australia,” Haruka said simply.  
  
“What?” Rin frowned, “Who the fuck would go to Australia? There’s a bunch of spiders and kangaroos and death traps out there.”  
  
“They hold the Olympic record for 100 meter freestyle.”  
  
“What the hell is freestyle?”  
  
“Swimming,” Haruka’s eyes narrowed.  
  
Rin slapped a hand over his face. “Why the fuck would we go to Australia for swimming?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa frowned, “I’d rather go to Canada.”  
  
“Canada?” Rin groaned, “That’s just as dumb!”  
  
“What?” Nagisa shouted, “They have penguins!”  
  
“No they don’t,” Rei corrected.  
  
“Yes they do!” Nagisa scowled, “I watched a video! They’re on Prince Edward Island!”  
  
“There are actually two Prince Edward Islands,” Rei adjusted his glasses.  
  
“Lucky Prince Edward,” Rin muttered.  
  
“One of them is in Canada, the other is owned by the Republic of South Africa, at the southern end of the Indian Ocean—Anyway, all that aside, we have a life or death matter at hand.” Rei frowned, huffing. “The point is we’re _not_ running away to China, Australia or Canada. And if we were, I’d personally want to go America. They have the rarest butterflies in the whole world in California.”  
  
Rin sighed, “Okay okay, stop with this useless conversation. Rei’s right, we have to focus okay?”  
  
Nagisa sighed, “From what I can tell, whatever happens happens. We can’t do anything until we figure out what Yamato’s up to. Rei, monitor him.”  
  
“Understood.”  
  
Nagisa nodded before looking up. “Hmmm… I guess, I’ll just have to talk to Mako-chan about it. I don’t know.”  
  
Haruka looked at Nagisa for a moment, then to Rei.  
  
Rin sighed, “Well if that’s that… I’m gonna go do something.”  
  
“Tell Nitori I say hi!” Nagisa grinned.  
  
“Ack,” Rin felt his cheeks warm and he grunted as he looked away. “Shut up, twerp.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
As Rin expected, Nitori was sitting on the couch, watching T.V., alone, as usual. His head perked up when he heard footsteps and offered Rin a smile, “Hi.”  
  
“Hey,” Rin sighed before taking a seat next to the grey haired teen. He instantly slipped an arm around him and sighed.  
  
“How’d the rest of the meeting go?”  
  
“Stupid, it went stupid.” Rin rolled his eyes, “Started arguing about Australia and shit.”  
  
Nitori chuckled. He could imagine it almost too easily. Without thinking about it, he pushed his back against Rin’s chest and leaned in. Had it been when he first joined, he would have stood still as he was used to doing. It was nice, strange, weird, but nice all the same, to do equal parts of the romance. He looked up at Rin, resting his head against the redhead’s shoulder. “Hey, Rin… could I… ask you something?”  
  
“Hm?” Rin looked away from the T.V. and turned to Nitori. Their faces were so close together and he let out a smirk.  
  
Nitori’s eyes dipped down to Rin’s mouth and he bit his lip, before looking back up to the redhead. “I was just… I was kind of wondering, I mean um… Why don’t you ever use tongue?”  
  
“Huh?” Rin raised an eyebrow, “Oh,” he understood and his face went neutral, “You mean, when we kiss…?”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
“Um… well,” Rin opened his mouth, showing his sharp teeth, “Gotta be careful with these fuckers. When my first girlfriend kissed me, she cut her tongue on my teeth—I’m not mad about it, she was a heartless bitch, deserved it, but…” He pursed his lips, looking away for a moment, “Guess I’m just… worried, about you.”  
  
Nitori couldn’t help but smile. “You don’t have to be gentle with me.”  
  
“I know, I know,” Rin kept looking away, “I just… don’t want to ruin the moment. I mean, teeth generally don’t get in the way anyway, just, be careful… okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Nitori nodded.  
  
Rin finally turned his head, looking into Nitori’s eyes for a moment before slowly lowering his head.  
  
Nitori closed his eyes, knowing Rin was doing the same, and felt Rin’s lips on his. He kissed softly, gently at first, then moved his tongue forward, licking for entrance.  
  
Rin swallowed hard and opened his mouth for the other. He moved his tongue forward, instinctively trying to keep Nitori out of his mouth.  
  
Nitori moved a hand up, sliding it around Rin’s neck and soothingly moving his thumb over the redhead’s skin. He moved his tongue into the redhead’s mouth. Carefully, he moved to one of the side teeth. He could feel Rin tense and he gently licked the sides, wanting to feel it.  
  
Rin pressed a hand on Nitori’s chest and pushed him back slightly.  
  
Nitori took the message and moved his mouth away.  
  
“Ai…”  
  
“Don’t be afraid, okay?”  
  
“I’m just… what if I hurt you?”  
  
“Rin,” he smiled, “I’m tougher than I look.”  
  
“Alright…”  
  
Carefully, he moved his mouth against the redhead’s again, and pushed in his tongue. He moved to a different tooth, this one on the other side of Rin’s mouth. He licked its side, then slowly moved the tip of his tongue down to the point. “Ow,” he said as he pulled his lips back.  
  
“Ai,” Rin’s eyes went wide, “Open your mouth.”  
  
“I’m okay,” Nitori chuckled, “It’s not bleeding.”  
  
“Shush. Let me see. Now.”  
  
Nitori opened his mouth and said ‘Aw’ for a second, then closed his mouth. “I’m fine, okay?”  
  
“Okay…” Rin pursed his lips, “Just don’t—”  
  
“It’s okay,” Nitori reminded him. “Okay?”  
  
“…” Rin sighed, closing his eyes, “I just… care about you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sex, Lies, and Guns is moving to the last phase of the fic. I'm so happy all of you've stuck with me, and I'm happy anyone's gotten _this_ far, hope you're enjoying it! 8D


	13. Part 11: Festival and Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an FYI: A yukata is a casual kimono, usually for summer time. It's different than a traditional kimono because it's only one layer and lightweight and comfy, XD. In fics I try not to use non-English words without explaining what they mean, but I couldn't fit in a description without it sounding weird, so I'm just gonna cheat and throw it here.
> 
> Also, I totally have the next chapter written... I just need to get off my ass and edit. So expect an update, maybe tomorrow?
> 
> While I have your attention... I just want to say thank you all so much for all the support and feedback and comments and kudos and everything. Honestly, it _has_ made a huge difference, so thank you.

The constant brewing of caffeinated beverages and freshly baked sweets gave the cafe a nice smell: A strong smell of coffee with a dash of sweetness. The windows were open, and the occasional car driving by could be heard. The waitress grabbed two cups; one was a cafe au lait, the other was a hot chocolate with vanilla sugar. She placed each of the two cups onto small plates and walked over to a table at the corner of a shop. She smiled and placed the drinks down in front of the two boys.  
  
“Thanks!” Nagisa grinned.  
  
“Thank you.” Makoto chuckled as the waitress left. “I’ve never been here before.” He looked around and decided to taste test his drink.  
  
“It’s my favourite coffee shop!” Nagisa drank from his hot chocolate and made an appreciative ‘mmmm’ noise. “It’s a small place, but it’s nice.”  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto sipped his drink and his eyebrows rose slightly. The texture was smooth, milky, but still had the taste of the dark roast. “Mmm, this is pretty good.” He chuckled and looked at the blond, examining the dark pink eyes. “You know… I still want to know more about you. I mean, I know your personality, but I don’t know much about your past. Like, what do your parents do?”  
  
Nagisa blinked and slowly brought his cup to his lip. He sipped silently before placing his drink back on the plate. “That’s… that’s not really something I want to talk about…”  
  
“S-sorry,” Makoto looked away.  
  
“It’s okay,” Nagisa chuckled. “Actually… there are a lot of things I’d rather not talk about, when it comes to my past.” He sipped his drink again, then looked out the window. “It’s probably going to be a game of minesweeper with me.”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto offered a warm smile. “Then… why don’t you just tell me anything that’s okay? I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”  
  
“Uh,” Nagisa tilted his head, but nodded. “Okay. Hmmm, I grew up here, in this city… and it’s really boring. Haha, uhh, yeah... I used to do swimming – don’t tell Haruka – when I was younger, back in middle school. I didn’t have many hobbies, but I liked swimming. I used to draw a lot, doodled a lot in class. Probably why I was so bad at school. I almost failed a lot of classes, but Kou was my study buddy. That’s Rin’s little sister. Actually, I called her ‘Gou’ back then. We used to bicker back and forth.”  
  
“Gou?” Makoto tilted his head.  
  
Nagisa nodded, “I’m a bit of a history geek actually… She was named after Nagamasa Azai’s third daughter. That’s the Sengoku warlord, anyway. So it’s Gou, but modern readings pronounce it ‘Kou’. She didn’t like Gou because it was a boy’s name, but I thought it was fate! I mean, I’m a boy with a girl’s name, and she was a girl with a boy’s name! Isn’t that awesome? I mean, neither one of us really had other friends, but we had each other. I liked calling her Gou, I miss it.”  
  
Makoto chuckled, sipping his drink. “So, why did you stop calling her Gou? You don’t seem like the type to give up that easy.”  
  
Nagisa cackled at that and smiled. “Actually,” his eyes quickly scanned the place to make sure no one was within earshot, “I finally switched years later, and I did it because she shot me in the shoulder. I had to wear a cast for a good couple of months, until it healed, so I figure it’s not worth the risk. Still, I like to piss her off every once in a while.”  
  
Makoto blinked but then silently shook his head, huge smile on his face.  
  
“Hmmmm,” Nagisa tilted his head, “What else can I tell you? Oh, I guess I could tell you how I got into the whole Iwatobi business. It’s not really a funny story though, if you’re interested?”  
  
“Sure,” Makoto nodded. “I want to know as much as I can about you.”  
  
Nagisa’s cheeks warmed a little and he looked away. “So, I got really bored of this town, and I figured out one of my neighbours was into illegal stuff. So I kinda just, pickpocketed his gun.”  
  
The brunet tilted his head, “Just like that?”  
  
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I was twelve when I took it, and I hid it in my closet, between my power ranger toys.”  
  
“You didn’t use it?”  
  
“Well, I did,” Nagisa admitted, “But not until about a year later. Just over a year, I think, anyway… I found out my homeroom teacher was… in a not-so-healthy relationship with a student. And… it, wasn’t exactly, you know, consensual.”  
  
“Oh…” Makoto could feel a twist in his stomach. “You were… thirteen at this point?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded, “The girl was in my class.”  
  
Makoto made a face that said he was going to be sick.  
  
“Exactly,” Nagisa nodded, “So… I took matters into my own hands, and did away with him. After that… Well, I freaked out at first and thought they were going to find me. I wasn’t exactly sure who ‘they’ were, but you know, didn’t matter. Probably police or something. Anyway, ‘they’ didn’t find me, and I realised I could get away with it. That’s sort of how it all started.”  
  
Makoto nodded slowly and took a large gulp of his drink. “That’s not what I was expecting.”  
  
“Yeah, and that story stays between us,” Nagisa winked before chuckling. “All the other members think I just got bored and shot someone. Don’t get me wrong, though, Mako-chan. I’m not some Robin Hood or ‘The hero Gotham deserves’. I don’t see a problem in senselessly murdering people, either. That just made me sick.”  
  
“Well,” Makoto chuckled as he imagined Nagisa in Batman’s suit (and the mental image was _cute_ ), “Everyone’s a little human from time to time.”  
  
“We’ll see how much longer I stay human, though,” Nagisa looked out the window, eyes softening. “Makoto… one day, somehow, I know karma’s gonna bite me back. I’m not going to live until I get old, probably never make it to thirty. What I do, day-to-day, is fuck things up for other people. Get in their business, sometimes even steal their business. I ruin lives, and I get paid. I break laws, and I get paid. I want you to know that I’m going to die one day, for fucking shit up.”  
  
Makoto’s eyes narrowed, “Don’t talk like that…”  
  
“It bothers you,” Nagisa pointed out. “It bothers you, to know… even if we give everything we are into this relationship, it’ll probably end in five years when I get a bullet between my eyes. I… I really like you, but do you really think we could have a future together?” He turned his head, looking Makoto dead in the eyes. “Look at me, Mako-chan, look at who I am, head of Iwatobi, a bloody and ruthless organised-crime enterprise. One day I’m going to get punished for all this stupid shit I do to people. I don’t have a future. I don’t think I can make you happy.”  
  
Makoto pursed his lips. He mulled over how to respond, but in the end he just sipped his drink and offered a smile. “At the end of the day, it’s my choice, right?”  
  
Nagisa blinked.  
  
“I mean… unless you don’t want to spend this time with me, but I want you. I want to spend time with you. I want to love you,” Makoto placed his drink back on the small plate and smiled. “I thought you agreed not to push me away anymore.”  
  
“I’m not pushing you away,” Nagisa sighed, pouting slightly, “I just want to give you a proper warning…”  
  
“You already did, several times.” Makoto smiled, “I _still_ want to be with you.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and then sipped his own drink. He looked into the chocolaty brown drink and pursed his lips. “Mako-chan… are you, really okay with this? I mean, dating someone like me.”  
  
“Yes. Stop asking.”  
  
“But… why?”  
  
“Because…” Makoto thought about it, trying to find words. “It’s hard to explain. You make me happy, I guess. I feel… I don’t know. Being around you makes me glad. I think. That’s the only way to put it…. Well, maybe I just like myself better when I’m around you.”  
  
Nagisa’s brows came together, “Huh? What do you mean by…” His voice trailed off and dark pink eyes moved to the side. Relaxing slightly, he cleared his throat. “Can this wait?”  
  
Makoto blinked until he also looked to the side.  
  
Rei had a file in his hand and he shook his head. “I’m sorry, it’s urgent.” He placed the folder on Nagisa’s lap and took a step back.  
  
Nagisa sighed, “This can’t be done later?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Fine,” Nagisa grumbled and opened up the file. “Another kidnapping mission? _Okayama?_ Ugh…” He looked up at Rei, “Do you want to discuss it here?”  
  
“Actually, I’m here to talk to Makoto about recent happenings.”  
  
Makoto blinked, “Huh?”  
  
Rei also blinked, “You haven’t told him?”  
  
“Was going to,” Nagisa admitted, “Later. I’m sorry, Mako-chan, I have to go.” He chugged the rest of his drink and slipped out of his chair. Stretching, he rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
Makoto got up to his feet as well and pulled Nagisa into a hug, “No need to say sorry.” He softly kissed the top of Nagisa’s head.  
  
Nagisa chuckled and looked up. He went on his tippy toes, then pouted, “Mako-chan! You’re too tall, I can’t kiss you!”  
  
Makoto laughed and leaned down, only slightly, so their lips could connect for a short moment.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After they said goodbye to Nagisa, Rei was walking Makoto to the bus stop. His steps were rigid and his posture was formal. “Let’s talk,” he said in a low voice, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. “Your uncle is stirring up trouble. As of right now, it’s not a problem. Chances are, it won’t ever be a problem. I have a feeling Yamato Tachibana will stop eventually, but I can’t be certain. He is currently looking for your kidnappers.”  
  
Makoto listened and looked down at his feet as he walked. “What should I do?”  
  
“Nothing,” Rei explained. “Don’t raise suspicions. When you’re going to meet Nagisa, does he ask questions?”  
  
“Not really,” Makoto shrugged. “He’s used to me going to coffee shops to meet my friends.”  
  
“Fine,” Rei pursed his lips as he saw the little tarp ahead. He stopped, and watched as Makoto did the same after a couple steps. His eyes stared hard at the brunet and he adjusted his glasses. “I don’t like you.”  
  
Makoto blinked and looked away, “Um… sorry? If I did something to piss you off…”  
  
“It’s not what you did, or what you do,” Rei explained, “It’s the effect you have. He’s changing.”  
  
“Um, What?”  
  
“Nagisa,” Rei’s eyes narrowed. “You are changing him.”  
  
Makoto thought about it and tilted his head, “Am I?”  
  
“Yes, you are. It’s been noted.” Rei crossed his arms, “Of course change is bound to occur, even in people. Considering the point of his life he’s in, it is highly doubtful all Nagisa would do is age as time go by. Who he is, his personality, his goals, his future... It’s all going to change eventually, it’s all going to change anyway. But the difference is you are the one bringing this change. When change happens, so do events. And if those events, whether they are for better or for worse, when those events occur, it’s going to be your fault.”  
  
“Hold up,” Makoto frowned, “How do you know my change will bring forth some kind of ‘event’… do you know something?”  
  
“No,” Rei admitted, “I am no seer or fortune teller, and I highly doubt anyone who says they are. But it is fate, something bound to happen. If you cut a carrot, it will become smaller. If you change a person, that change will have consequence. I want you to know, Makoto, that I hold you completely responsible for what you do to him. If something bad happens to Nagisa, because you changed him, I will hunt you down and make you beg for forgiveness.”  
  
Makoto could _feel_ the colour fade from his face and he swore he probably looked like a ghost. Rei had never struck him as that kind of person, and yet he was giving death threats? Swallowing hard, he realised Rei was completely serious. It all sounded ridiculous, completely so, but looking at Rei’s face made him wonder… “You really think I’m some harbinger of bad luck or something?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei said simply.  
  
“Alright… thanks for the warning, I guess,” Makoto frowned.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Two weeks passed.  
  
Makoto had seen Nagisa fairly regularly over the past while, although it was hard since his family was visiting. While Makoto stayed at his uncle’s place to attend school, his parents and the twins were two towns over. They came when Makoto was kidnapped, and they decided to stay since the festival was starting soon. They usually came over for the festival anyway, so the timing was nice.  
  
It was when Makoto got home, he was so focused on the previous conversations that he blinked twice when he saw his little brother and sister dressed in kimonos. He of course completely forgot there was the festival later that night—and totally forgot to ask Nagisa to come with him. The six of them (his parents, the twins, himself and his uncle) all went to the festival together. Makoto wasn’t wearing a yukata, but the twins and his parents were.  
  
All the vendors had their stuff up, lanterns hanging from everywhere. The sun had set and the small little streets were still brightly illuminated by candle fire. Makoto was busy being pulled left and right by the twins, but he really shouldn’t have been _that_ surprise when he heard _that_ voice call his name.  
  
“Mako-chan!”  
  
Makoto turned around and suddenly grinned wide.  
  
Standing in front of him was a short, trickster blond in a green yukata, with the design of pink flowers on the left side, and he was wearing wooden sandals. With a huge smile on his face, he fanned himself with a paper fan. The festival was at night, and the soft light from the lanterns made it looked like he was glowing.  
  
“Nagisa,” Makoto chuckled, instantly pulling the blond into his arms.  
  
Nagisa nuzzled Makoto’s chest and hugged him back, tightly. He stepped away a little, remembering Makoto was still with his family. “Surprise running into you here.”  
  
Makoto chuckled, “Yeah.”  
  
His mom instantly smiled, “A friend of yours, Makoto?”  
  
“Yeah,” he nodded.  
  
Yamato offered a smile as well, “From school?”  
  
“Nah, just someone I met at my swim club,” Makoto lied and then turned to Nagisa, “Why don’t you walk around with us? We’re about to get some fried octopus.”  
  
“Mmmmm,” Nagisa grinned, “I’m hungry, so sure!”  
  
“I want octopus!” Ran yelled and tugged on her dad’s sleeve, “Let’s go!”  
  
The others began walking in that direction and Makoto followed, Nagisa trailing closely behind. Makoto pushed his elbow out in a way to offer his arm.  
  
Nagisa slipped a hand onto Makoto’s forearm and looked up. “Is it okay?” he said in a hushed voice, “I mean with your family and all.”  
  
“I figure my parents already know,” Makoto admitted with a smile. “So, is it _really_ a surprise to see me here?”  
  
“Nope!” Nagisa chuckled, “I didn’t spy on you though. The whole town’s here, figured you would be too. So, how do you like my yukata?”  
  
Makoto stopped to take a proper looked at it. “Green’s my favourite colour,” he said with a big smile before he lowered his head, pushing their lips together for a small, quick kiss. “You look amazing.”  
  
Nagisa felt his cheeks warm and he chuckled, “Amazing? But come on, be a bit more specific? Is it amazing in a sexy way? A beautiful way? Come on, flatter me!”  
  
Makoto snorted and then put a hand to his face in slight embarrassment. “I told you before, you’re just… pretty.” Makoto shrugged, “But you’re sexy and beautiful too, if you were wondering.”  
  
Extremely content with that answer, Nagisa grabbed onto Makoto’s arm and hugged him tight.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After half an hour of walking around with his family, Makoto decided to walk around with Nagisa, alone, for a while. Makoto emptied his wallet buying food to sate Nagisa’s endless hunger, and then Nagisa felt bad and tried to pay him back. They bickered back and forth until Nagisa threatened to shoot him dead in the festival streets.  
  
Nagisa won that argument.  
  
Fifteen minutes after that, Nagisa remembered he was supposed to bring Makoto to the rest of the group, because a certain someone badly wanted to see him. Makoto, of course, agreed, and couldn’t help but smile as he saw the group. Haruka was in a blue yukata, with swirls resembling the ocean; Rei was in a plain dark purple kimono that looked really comfy; Nitori was wearing a rich red kimono, that looked expensive, and Kou was wearing a pink one. Rin was the only one not wearing one, and he just wore casual clothing.  
  
“Hey,” Makoto said as he approached them.  
  
“Husband,” Haruka instantly crossed the distance and hugged Makoto.  
  
Makoto chuckled and hugged Haruka back, closing his eyes as he squeezed the other one tight. “Thank you,” he whispered into the other’s ear.  
  
“You’re welcome,” Haruka whispered back, knowing exactly what that was referring too. He stepped back and offered a small smile.  
  
Makoto looked at Haruka’s clothing and smiled, “You look cute.”  
  
“Thanks,” Haruka said simply as his eyes moved to the side, “Nagisa said it would enhance our marriage if I wore something nice.”  
  
Makoto chuckled.  
  
“Haruka’s isn’t bad,” Rin agreed but then wrapped his arms around Nitori’s waist from behind, “But I think Ai wins.”  
  
Nitori’s cheeks instantly reddened, “Th-thank you.”  
  
Rei cleared his throat, “My vote is with Haruka.”  
  
“Shush!” Nagisa shouted, “I have the cutest yukata! Bullets in the head for anyone who disagrees!”  
  
“Cheater,” Kou stuck her tongue out.  
  
Nagisa grinned in victory and his eyes settled on Rin. Feeling playful, he looked at Nitori and smiled. “Hey Ai-chan! Let’s go have girl talk!”  
  
“Fuck you, no!” Rin growled, “He’s mine.”  
  
Nagisa snorted, “And the shark takes the bait—Man, you’ve got it _bad_ Rin!”  
  
Rin suddenly realised what he said and made some strange inhuman gawking noise.  
  
Nitori just blushed.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After half an hour, they split up. Rei found a nice spot on a hill where he could lean on railings and overlook the others. Nagisa and Haruka were spending time with Makoto and he could see Rin trying to a prize for Nitori just paces away. He sighed. He tried to shush that nagging voice in his head, but still. He knew something bad was going to happen.  
  
“Hey! There you are.”  
  
Rei looked over his shoulder and was a little surprised.  
  
Kou stepped closer to the railing and leaned on it, chuckling as he watched Rin getting angry over something. “What are you doing here all alone?”  
  
“Uh,” Rei wondered how to answer and he pursed his lips, “Hmm, nothing.”  
  
“You’ve… been acting weird, you know?”  
  
“You noticed?”  
  
“I did,” Kou nodded, “But I figured I don’t really know you well enough to understand what that meant. It was when Nii-san said he was also worried about you that I figured something was up.” She turned around and hopped on the rail and sitting on it.  
  
“I…” Rei sighed and looked up. “I fear not belonging.” His eyes focused on Makoto and his brows furrowed. “There was a time I believed I had feelings for Nagisa, of course later I realised… I’m sorry. Please forgive me, but I’d rather not discuss that.”  
  
“That’s okay,” Kou smiled and suddenly raised her legs, turning around so she was facing the same was as Rei, while still sitting on the railing. “Is it… Makoto?”  
  
“Yes.” Rei pursed his lips, “I have a bad feeling… though, sometimes I wonder if it’s just jealousy.”  
  
“Of how he’s spending all that time with Nagisa?” Kou chuckled, “You know, I don’t think anyone is really ‘taken’ right now. Rin and Haruka still go at it until four in the morning, even with Rin and Nitori. Nitori’s fine with it too. I’m sure Nagisa’s the same.” She turned her head to look at Rei, but that only seemed to make things worse. She bit her lip and followed his gaze.  
  
Makoto, Haruka, Nagisa, Nitori and Rin had managed to all find each other again. Rin and Makoto were teaming up to hold the cotton candy high in the air, so Nitori and Nagisa were jumping, trying desperately to get it, but they were too short.  
  
“ _Oh._ ” Kou said as she stared at the teenager who was watching the spectacle from front row seats. “You mean… Haruka?”  
  
Rei straightened his spine.  
  
“Is that it?”  
  
Rei sighed before nodding slowly. “Haruka is… simple, but smart. He’s intelligent, but he doesn’t complicate things. I… I don’t know. Why would he ever take that kind of interest in me? I’m just, boring… I don’t belong.”  
  
“Stop that,” Kou tapped him on the shoulder playfully. “Come on, Rei!” She motioned her head to the side, “Go get him.”  
  
“Do I…” Rei pursed his lips, “I mean, do I really have a chance?”  
  
Kou sighed, “Don’t make me push you down the hill!”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Spending an entire hour with the group was strange for Makoto. Only because it was the first time he’d seen many of them off work. It was a little strange to realise that criminals were people too, who wanted fried food and cotton candy, and wanted their husbands to win them prizes. Makoto managed to get Haruka a stuffed dolphin and Haruka grabbed Makoto’s face, pressing their lips together. Makoto couldn’t help but notice how _different_ it was to kiss Haruka, compared to Nagisa. He couldn’t quite explain it. It just was.  
  
When the fireworks were going to start, Nagisa said they should probably go back to his family, so Makoto waved them all goodbye.  
  
They joined Makoto’s family and Nagisa approached them with two bars of strawberry ice cream. “Who wants ice cream?”  
  
“I do!” Ran shouted and ran towards him.  
  
Ren instantly followed, “Me too! Me too!”  
  
“Here you go!” Nagisa bent down a bit and handed it to them. He chuckled as they began eating with pleased faces.  
  
“That’s so sweet of you,” Makoto’s dad smiled.  
  
Nagisa just grinned, “Well that’s what festivals are for, fried food and ice cream!”  
  
Makoto chuckled as well and slipped an arm around the blond’s waist.  
  
Ren looked up between Makoto and Nagisa, noting the arm around the blond and tilted his head. “Um, Nagisa-san… are you onii-chan’s girlfriend?”  
  
Everyone laughed, and Makoto shook his head. “No, he’s my boyfriend.” Makoto suddenly leaned in and kissed Nagisa’s cheek.  
  
Nagisa smiled and leaned against Makoto a bit more.  
  
“So Nagisa,” Makoto’s mother spoke up, “You said you’re a swimmer too?”  
  
“Uh, yeah,” Nagisa nodded. “I haven’t doing much swimming lately though. I’m trying to focus on other things right now, looking for a job and some other stuff.”  
  
“Oh okay,” she smiled encouragingly, “Looks like you’re trying to get things in order.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, total bullshit spewing from his mouth, “I want to swim, but gotta focus on writing up resumes and things like that.”  
  
Ran tilted her head, “Mr. Nagisa!”  
  
Nagisa chuckled again, “You can just call me Nagisa.”  
  
“Oh, okay, Nagisa! What kind of swimming did you do? Were you a backstroker like onii-chan? Or a butterfly? Or a breaststroker?”  
  
Nagisa honestly had no idea what the different strokes were. He remembered something about them from when he was a kid, but not enough to make a decision. He realised the word ‘Breaststroker’ had the word ‘Breast’ in it, and that was feminine. “I’m a breastroker.”  
  
“Oh!” Yamato shouted as he looked at his watch, “The fireworks are about to start!”  
  
Ran turned around and stomped her feet on the ground, “Let’s get good seats on the field!”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Makoto slipped his fingers between Nagisa’s. It was the first time he really ever held hands with someone, and it made him blush. Nagisa clearly noticed as he made a small chuckle, but he didn’t tease. After making their way to the field, the family managed to find a nice spot and they sat together. Makoto pulled Nagisa a short distance away for a little bit of privacy before he took a seat on the grass, crossing his legs and patting the ground beside him.  
  
“I don’t wanna ruin my nice yukata,” Nagisa said before he dropped between Makoto’s legs and claimed that spot as his seat.  
  
Makoto snorted and smooched Nagisa’s cheek. “You’re really something, you know that? He wrapped his arms around Nagisa’s waist and pulled him close.  
  
Nagisa snickered out of victory and leaned back on the brunet.  
  
Several paces away, Yamato shouted, “Get a room!”  
  
Everyone laughed, including Makoto and Nagisa.  
  
Makoto brought his lips to Nagisa’s ear and lowered his voice to a whisper, “I wonder what he’d say if he found out who you really were.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and nodded, “Would be weird.” His dark pink eyes moved to the side, “It is weird… being so innocently close to him, you know? But, hey, if he sees us meet up from now on, there won’t be any suspicions.”  
  
Makoto nodded, “Good. I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”  
  
Nagisa felt his cheeks warm. He was about to say something, but a huge explosion of lights distracted him. He clapped his hands excitedly as the fireworks started going off. “Oh Mako-chan, look a smiley face!” He shouted, pointing things out, and watched the display happily.  
  
Makoto watched as well, but his eyes looked down. He watched Nagisa, in his moment of wonder and awe, and couldn’t help but smile. For all the talk about death and murdering, and everything… at the end of the day, he was just a kid like any other. “Wait, Nagisa…”  
  
“Huh?” Nagisa looked up, “What is it?”  
  
“How old are you?”  
  
“Eighteen,” Nagisa chuckled, “Let me guess ‘You don’t look it’?”  
  
Makoto chuckled and nodded, “Sorry, silly question.” He looked up again at the fireworks and he blinked at a display of green, “Wow that was a big one!”  
  
“Yeah!” Nagisa’s dark pink eyes focused on the lights.  
  
Makoto felt a little guilty, but he had to steal another glance.  
  
Nagisa just looked so happy.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Rin and Nitori were leaning on a railing, looking up at the explosion of lights and colours. Rin looked to his side, and saw Nitori looking at him. He didn’t think twice before leaning in and kissing him softly.  
  
Nitori’s cheeks went red, matching his yukata.  
  
Rin chuckled and looked back up at the fireworks.  
  
“Um, Rin…. um, thanks.”  
  
Rin looked to the side and blinked, “For what?”  
  
“For… you know, buying me this kimono,” Nitori smiled as he looked away, shyly.  
  
“Well, you wanted one,” Rin tried to shrug it off.  
  
“I know but… I’ve never owned one, and I don’t think I’d ever be able to buy a red one like this.” Nitori looked down, “I mean it’s super comfy, and I really like it… but I don’t think I’d have the courage to buy myself something so bright. I like it, I really do, I’m not saying I don’t… I just, I guess what I want to say is I don’t think I would have been able to wear it if it weren’t for you, so thank you.”  
  
Rin smiled softly as he kept his gaze on the fireworks. “Well, red’s my favourite colour, you know. You’re lucky you look good in it. But you should be braver, you’re good at what you do. If you want something, ask for it.”  
  
Nitori grinned, and watched as another big firework exploded. “Hey, Rin, kiss me..”  
  
Rin looked away from the display and slipped an arm around Nitori’s waist.  
  
“With teeth.”  
  
Rin chuckled and looked away. “You know… I used to hate my teeth… Kids at school called me a freak behind my back, and I always thought if I ever find someone I really like… I’d have to be careful not to show it or I’d ruin the mood. I never imagined I’d find someone who practically got off on it.”  
  
Nitori grinned and his cheeks went red, “I just… really like them.”  
  
Slowly, he pushed their lips together.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“You’re not interested in seeing the fireworks?” Rei asked curiously.  
  
Haruka shook his head as he continued walking.  
  
Rei followed. “Where are we going?”  
  
“Somewhere…” Haruka said with a hint of teasing in his voice. “Just follow.”  
  
“Very well.”  
  
He stepped down the wooden steps, and eventually his sandals hit sand.  
  
Rei wasn’t all that surprised they were walking on the beach, though they seemed to be moving away from the water. After a minute of walking, Rei still didn’t see anywhere in particular, but he noticed there was a lack of people around. His eyes suddenly widened as he felt something grab his shirt.  
  
It was Haruka, who pressed their bodies together.  
  
Rei’s eyes widened.  
  
They were in silence. Mostly silence. The sound of faraway fireworks exploding could be heard, but they were washed away by the sound of the ocean licking the beach, constant waves.  
  
Haruka slipped his arms around Rei’s neck.  
  
Rei swallowed hard before leaning down. He closed his eyes, and pressed their lips together. He closed his eyes and felt his cheeks burn. The kiss was slow, gentle, and there was a sweet taste to it, probably from all the ice cream, and he couldn’t help but lean into the kiss.  
  
Haruka leaned in as well, bringing up his hand to stroke Rei’s cheek with his thumb.  
  
Rei moved his arms around Haruka, pulling him closer.  
  
The kiss eventually ended, and Haruka pulled back only slightly.  
  
“Haruka?”  
  
“I… just really wanted to do that.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Back on the grass field Nagisa was still looking up at the fireworks, but he’d caught Makoto looking at him enough times that he just had to stick his tongue out at the brunet.  
  
Makoto chuckled and held the blond tighter. “Nagisa…”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I love you.”  
  
Nagisa blinked, cheeks turning red, and he couldn’t help but smile. “I love you too, Mako-chan.”


	14. Case of Rei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So two small notes, one: If you didn't notice with Case of Nitori, the 'Case of's are written in a bit of a different style. Not really anything notable, but they have more summary than scene, and that's just because they are extra chapters. I know some people don't like it when author's sort of change styles without warning, so this is the warning! XD It's only going to be for extra chapters, though.
> 
> Second note: I started this fic on September 29th, and now (in less than 30 days), it's at 50k words. It's like I accidentally did NaNoWriMo. XD I'm usually not that fast of a writer, but all the support and sweet words you've all given me has just made me want to do nothing but write, so again, thank you.

It was a small room, with two chairs and a small glass table between them. Rei felt uncomfortable, but that was because he knew therapy wouldn’t work. He didn’t want it to work. He didn’t want to change. But, until this bitch sitting across from him said he was no longer suicidal, he was forced to see her every week, same time, same place.  
  
“So,” she crossed her legs, looking at him with a small smile.  
  
A fake smile.   
  
Rei hated fake smiles.  
  
They weren’t beautiful.  
  
“Do you believe your mother deserved it?”  
  
  
 _“Shut the fuck up!” The man grabbed the woman by the shirt and yanked it back before throwing her forward.  
  
The woman fell to the floor with a scream. “You big fat asshole! You were never good at anything! I never should have married you! Should have never had your kid!”  
  
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut the fuck up!”_  
  
  
“No,” Rei answered simply as he crossed his arms. “I don’t believe anybody deserves to be beaten so hard they have permanent brain damage, a plethora of hemorrhages, covered in bruises, and will now spend the rest of their life tied to a hospital bed like a vegetable.”  
  
“Even with what she did?”  
  
“Nobody deserves that.”  
  
She nodded, looking down to her notebook. “Would you say she brought it on herself?”  
  
  
 _“Would you stop pissing me off? You bitch! You stupid bitch! God damnit, you fucking cunt!” The man took a deep breath before taking a seat, “Leave me alone, damnit!” He put his hands against his head, closing his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks.  
  
“Drink, drink, drink, drink!” the woman shouted as she put another beer on the table, “Drink you piece of shit! Drink yourself silly till you die, you worthless bag of dry cum! Just jack off on the flowers or something, you retarded, useless fat fuck!”  
  
Rei watched the two of them bicker in front of him. He was sitting on the familiar living room couch, watching the familiar scene. How many times had he seen this?_  
  
  
Rei pursed his lips as he thought about the question. “In a sense, yes. She threw his medication down the drain, kept telling him to drink to feel better, berated him with insults. My father snapped and I blame my mother for it.”  
  
“Do you think you could justify what she did?”  
  
“Their marriage was crumbling, both of them were fighting depression, but that doesn’t justify what she did. Nothing justifies what she did. She understood his condition: She understood there was a chemical imbalance in his brain, and then threw his pills down the drain to spite him. Was I surprised my father snapped? No, not at all. Was I surprised he beat her to death right in front of me? Yes, but I can’t say I was that surprised.”  
  
The therapist nodded, writing something down. “Rei, you said you didn’t have many friends in school?”  
  
“No, I said I didn’t have friends,” he corrected. “By the time I reached the twelfth grade, I had managed to skip three years. At the end of the day, my fellow classmates saw me as a kid by comparison.”  
  
“Did they pick on you?”  
  
  
 _Rei sat in the front row of the class, as he always did. His desk was tidy, his books were tidy, his notes were tidy—everything was tidy, as it should be. Unlike his classmates. Rei didn’t judge them, only because he didn’t really care. His only purpose was to learn, become smart. Why? He had no idea. It was the only thing he was good at, so he kept doing it. Plus, the sooner he finished school, the better. He felt like he didn’t belong. No, he knew he didn’t belong. He didn’t belong.  
  
He didn’t belong.  
  
Every time he walked into a classroom those were the words he heard in his head: “You don’t belong here.”_  
  
  
“No, they didn’t. They were actually quite happy with being my partner for projects—I was willing to do all the work to get a hundred percent on every assignment. With the violence at home, the only way I could drown out the screaming was studies.”  
  
“And now you’re working on your second degree at higher education?”  
  
“I’ve completed all my requirements and will be graduating in fall. I don’t have my degree until the ceremony, though.”  
  
“So you practically have a master’s degree and you just turned twenty?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Wow, you should be proud of yourself,” she offered a smile.  
  
“The only real difference was not taking summer off. Mother was an elementary teacher, she’d always be home during summer. It was the worst. I took several summer school courses to get ahead in middle and high school, then just took a full five term course during university summers.”  
  
“But that poses the question we’ve been trying to get at.” She tapped her pen against her pad and tilted her head, “What now? Do you think you want to further your studies at the doctoral level?”  
  
“I suppose…” Rei shrugged, “I could earn the degree with the time and effort required, but that just causes the problem to occur again. When I have my third degree in sciences, what then?”  
  
“Have you thought about teaching?”  
  
  
 _“Rei! You’re so smart, why don’t you become a teacher just like me? Don’t you wanna be a teacher just like mommy?”_  
  
  
“I have.”  
  
“Oh? Does it appeal to you?”  
  
  
 _“You big fat asshole! You were never good at anything! I never should have married you! Should have never had your kid!”_  
  
  
“No.”  
  
She pursed her lips, “Have you thought about getting a job somewhere?”  
  
“Doing what?”  
  
“Anything, Rei.”  
  
“Like what?”  
  
She groaned and smacked her notepad with her pen. “How about you travel a bit? Go see the world?”  
  
“I don’t have the money. Everything I have is just from scholarship funds.”  
  
“You don’t have to leave the country, Rei. You could maybe visit Shimane, Okayama, maybe even Tottori.”  
  
“Tottori?” Rei raised an eyebrow.  
  
She seemed surprised by his reaction. “Did that pique your interest?”  
  
“I’ve always lived in busy cities… I’ve heard the Tottori Prefecture is… boring in comparison, but it might be nice. What would I do? How long would I travel for?”  
  
“Why not try living there for a while? A change of scenery might be nice. Housing is cheap, I’m sure you could find an apartment, maybe find a job and try living day to day. They have a university there, for earth sciences.”  
  
Rei already knew that, but he tapped his chin… maybe…  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
His therapist, for the most part, was completely useless. Rei knew that was factual. He got off the bus and looked around at the new ‘city’ he was in. It was indeed closer to a village. He waited until after his graduation, then spent about a year finalising where he’d be living, as well as getting his therapist to say he was no longer suicidal.   
  
He was on the cusp of twenty two and he was finally starting something fresh in his life.  
  
“Good,” he muttered, “Maybe I can finally get some peace and quiet.” He had everything he needed in two bags. One was a small blue suitcase he pulled along, and the other was a large backpack made for hiking. He checked his phone for the address, to double check, and eventually found the apartment complex. It wasn’t long until he was up the stairs and staring at the room 232.  
  
“Ho!”  
  
Rei gawked and suddenly stepped back. He turned his head and saw a short blond boy.  
  
“You’re my new neighbour!”  
  
“Oh,” Rei nodded, “Hello. Rei Ryugazaki. I’d offer my hand, but they’re full.”  
  
“That’s fine!” The blond spun in a circle happily, “I’m Nagisa! If you need anything, even illegal goods, just come talk to me okay!”  
  
“Okay…” Rei blinked twice before nodding slowly.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Rei had found a job within a week. He was walking past a mix of a gas station and convenience store and noted the ‘Help Wanted’ sign. He had two degrees, but all he wanted was a stable job with stable income. He walked in, asked a couple questions, had a decent conversation with the manager and was told to come back with his résumé. He wrote one up, went back the next day, got the job on the spot.  
  
He was sweeping floors.  
  
The manager didn’t care, but Rei hated all the dust that was accumulating. He made it a thing to sweep the floors daily, mop it weekly. He organised things as they should be.  
  
“Hey kid.”  
  
Rei looked up, “Yes, sir?”  
  
“Look… don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but yer a smart kid. Why you hanging around at a job like this?”  
  
“I like this job,” he said simply as he continued sweeping. “The pay is fine, and it’s stable. I have no interest in doing more work. I have no interest in having more money, either. Calculating my expenses and my income, I’ll even be able to retire.”  
  
“Uh… yer tryin’ to tell me you plan on working in this dump till you retire?”  
  
“Possibly,” Rei shrugged, “The future will change my job status eventually. It is inevitable.”  
  
The man only nodded, lost in his confusion.  
  
Rei continued sweeping. The job was fine. He managed to get more than enough hours, and he always asked for more. Anything to fill his time. If he ran out of worthless things to fill the hours, he didn’t know what he’d do with himself. But filling all that time made Rei notice something he shouldn’t have. Of course he would notice it, though, it was obvious. Men (always men, strangely, distinct lack of women noted) coming in with black suits, large sums of cash. They’d go into the backroom, where he was not allowed, and then they would leave.  
  
Rei wasn’t stupid. He figured it out: The store was a front. There was something illegal happening behind those doors and his only opinion on it was that the manager wasn’t taking enough precautions. That’s why, when the sound of gunfire sent the store tochaos, he wasn’t surprised.   
  
It reminded him of when his father jumped off the couch and began beating his mother. He was a little surprised, but that was about it. Rei had noticed it slowly build up.  
  
Unlike his parents who fought between themselves, this time his life was in danger.  
  
There were gunshots, but it wasn’t a robbery. Robbers were interested in getting the money from the cash register. Moreover, robbers didn’t have assault rifles. Guns weren’t easy to get in Japan, especially not rural areas, and it was ten times harder to find an assault rifle. There was also a massive lack of crime in the region. Rei understood that whatever was happening was big.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blond boy, who easily recognised as his neighbour, using a handgun to fire at the manager.  
  
The manager tried hiding in one of the aisles and came face to face with Rei.  
  
Rei acted. He didn’t think why, but he did. He whirled the broom and smacked the side of the manager’s head, knocking him out and sending him to the ground, then stepped on the back of his neck to hold him where he was.  
  
“Huh? Rei?”  
  
Rei looked up to see Nagisa confused.  
  
Nagisa aimed the gun at him and tilted his head, “Um… why are you helping me? I mean I know I let you use my shower that one time when your pipes broke but…”  
  
Soon after, Rin appeared next to Nagisa and aimed the assault rifle at Rei. “Know him?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa giggled, “My neighbour.”  
  
“You,” Rei spoke firmly, “You guys, you want to kill witnesses, right? I’m here, at the scene of the crime. You won’t let me walk away, even though he’s your target. I stopped him, he’s yours. In exchange, I walk free. I won’t tell the media or the police anything. I really don’t give a shit about any of this.”  
  
“Geez, he’s ruthless…” Rin turned his head, “I kinda like him.”  
  
“I’m glad I can please somebody,” Rei muttered under his breath.  
  
Nagisa lowered his handgun and chuckled. “There’s a higher reward for getting this guy alive, you saved us having to put a bullet in him. You know, I kinda like you Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei’s left eye twitched, “Chan?”  
  
Rin sighed, “He does it to everybody…”  
  
“I see,” Rei looked down, then back up.  
  
Nagisa cackled wildly then put his hands to his mouth, “You know Rei-chan! We could always use someone like you. With this guy dead, you’re kinda out of a job right now aren’t you? And I mean, we’ll pay more than minimum wage. There’s risk of death, but come on, that’s what makes life interesting, right?”  
  
“Interesting?” Rei raised an eyebrow, and slowly took his foot off the man’s neck. “You make… a solid argument.”  
  
Rin blinked, “That’s it?”  
  
“I’m not difficult,” Rei shrugged.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
It was when he displayed his intelligence, paired with the fact that he was constantly striving for excellence, that Nagisa and Rin took interest in him again.   
  
At the early stages of Iwatobi, there were no senior or junior members, just members, but it was clear Nagisa was the head and Rin was second in command. The two of them decided Rei would prove more useful as a tactician and he advised time and time again, managing to come up with brilliant strategies that worked fairly easily.  
  
Still, he was also a unit when it came to the field.  
  
At the end of the day, Rei just wanted to be useful.  
  
He fired another shot.  
  
“Shit,” he grumbled.  
  
“That was a good one!” Nagisa chuckled.  
  
Rei turned his head to the side and saw the blond out of his peripheral vision before he looked back to the shooting range. Pulling the trigger, he fired another shot and hit the target in the neck. He scowled at himself.  
  
“Rei-chan!”  
  
He fired another shot, hit the neck again. “Yes, Nagisa?”   
  
“Why are you always practicing your accuracy?”  
  
“Wasting bullets is not beautiful,” Rei said simply. “When I am on the field, I want every shot to hit. That’s that.”  
  
“Uhuh… weird,” Nagisa tilted his head then chuckled, “The beautiful part, I mean.”  
  
When the blond didn’t leave, Rei put the gun down and flicked on the safety. “How can I help you, Nagisa?”  
  
“I need your help,” he chuckled, “A sabotage!”  
  
“Understood.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei walked away from the short planning meeting, but turned his head when he saw a blond skipping down the hall to talk to him. “Yes, Nagisa?”  
  
“I have a question! Don’t you ever get bored of being so serious all the time?”  
  
“No.” Rei blinked, “What should I be otherwise?”  
  
“Um, I don’t know. Have fun?”  
  
Rei crossed his arms and shrugged, “What do you suggest.”  
  
“Video games?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Movies?”  
  
“No thank you.”  
  
Nagisa pouted and crossed his arms as well, mimicking Rei. “Come on, come see a movie with me!”  
  
“I decline.”  
  
“Ugh, don’t be that way…” Nagisa’s lower lips wibbled, “Could you at least smile for me? Pleeaase?”  
  
Rei raised an eyebrow, “Why?”  
  
“Becaause, you’re dead inside, Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei’s eyes narrowed and he uncrossed his arms, “And that bothers you? We kill, we kill for a living.”  
  
“Damnit Rei, Iwatobi’s not interested in people like you.”  
  
 _He didn’t belong. He didn’t belong._  
  
Nagisa sighed, “We’re not looking for people with bland personalities, or people who have no interest in our group.” He suddenly pulled out his gun and pushed it against Rei’s stomach. “If you’re gonna be like that, Rei-chan—Mr. Don’t Talk to Anyone After the Job is Done—you’re the most likely candidate to be a traitor.”  
  
Rei swallowed hard.  
  
“Now, I’m not gonna shoot you, ReiRei, but you gotta understand what I’m saying. Keeping your distance is fine, but if you’re too far away then we can’t tell between friend or foe,” he pulled his gun away and put away.  
  
Rei nodded slowly, carefully. “Very well… What would you like to do Nagisa?”  
  
“Hmmmmmmm,” Nagisa thought about it for a moment, “Oh—buy me a milkshake, Rei-chan!”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Three weeks had passed since Nagisa had pulled a gun on Rei. As unexpected as it was, pulling a gun made things better. Rei was becoming more of a ‘team player’ and Nagisa didn’t have to worry about shooting him (plus, he was getting a lot more milkshakes). It was when the two of them were at a park that a moment of silence passed over them.  
  
They found a small wooden table and Nagisa sat on it, putting his feet on the seats.  
  
Rei leaned back on the table and looked up, watching all the stars twinkle above.  
  
“Stars are so pretty,” Nagisa said softly. “I wonder what it would be like to see them all up close.”  
  
“Actually,” Rei adjusted his glasses softly, “These stars have probably all faded away.”  
  
“Huh?” Nagisa blinked.  
  
“These stars are light years away. A light year is literally the distance the speed of light travels in a year. What we’re looking at is light from years and years ago,” Rei smiled, “In a sense… we’re looking into the past. It’s beautiful, really.”  
  
Nagisa looked up again, looking at each star and pouting. “But, does that mean they’re all gone?”  
  
Rei chuckled, “Possibly. But when a star dies, it bursts into a nebula, and the stardust is thrown everywhere. The dust clumps together and forms new stars, and that’s why we’ll never run out of stars.”  
  
“Ohh,” Nagisa smiled, “You know what, Rei-chan? You’re not as lame as I thought, I like you. You’re funny and smart and you’re actually pretty good company.”  
  
“Thank you,” Rei felt his cheeks warm as he chuckled. “Hey… Nagisa….?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Would you say…. we’re friends?”  
  
Nagisa blinked. He wanted to laugh at first, but he realised the question was serious. Giving a smile, he nodded. “Of course Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei chuckled, looking away, “Thank you.”


	15. Part 12: Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small note on this chapter, when you see a » that means incoming text and « means outgoing text. I've done my best to make it clear, but if you find it confusing or want me to use another system please let me know. The comfort of my readers does indeed matter to me. <3

“Alright,” Nagisa spoke up as he looked around the senior lounge. “You guys are all ready for the kidnapping mission tomorrow?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Rin muttered as he brought a cigarette to his lips. He used a lighter to light it, before he took in a drag. Without thinking, he blew a puff of smoke in Haruka’s direction then pulled the cig out of his mouth. “Shit, sorry. Didn’t mean to.”  
  
“It’s fine,” Haruka shrugged, leaning back on Rei. “Mom’s not going to be mad, not going home tonight. I have…” there was a pause, “Other plans.”  
  
Rei’s cheeks flushed.  
  
Rin looked between the two of them then nodded, “Uhuh…”  
  
“Guys,” Nagisa whined, “You gay fucks, just focus for a bit longer!”  
  
Rei chuckled, “It’ll be fine, Nagisa. You don’t need to worry about us. We’ve gone over the plan several times already. You’re just agitating yourself.”  
  
“Ahh, I know… I know I shouldn’t worry, but, I mean… it’s just, like, wow, I honestly can’t remember the last time I sat out on a mission from the Yakuza,” Nagisa pursed his lips, “I mean sometimes I took minor jobs, but this is the first time I’ll be sitting out, like completely! I guess I’m just worried… Is it too late for me to come?”  
  
“Less people, the better,” Rin muttered. “Your words, blondie.”  
  
“I take it back!”  
  
The four of them chuckled, and Rei looked up. “Nagisa, perhaps you should find a way to lower your anxiety. A more healthy, natural way.”  
  
Nagisa bit his lip and looked at Rei, “What do you suggest?”  
  
“Well…” Rei adjusted his glasses, “With the three of us on the mission, and none of the juniors coming in to work tomorrow, you’ll have the whole day off. And I’m certain your boyfriend would like to spend a night away from his uncle’s place every once in a while, if you catch my drift.”  
  
Nagisa blinked, then a huge smile formed on his lips. “Oooooooooooooooo! Hehehe, Rei’s finally thinking with his private parts for once!”  
  
Haruka snickered.  
  
Rin rolled his eyes, “Are we dismissed yet?”  
  
“Ooo, ‘dismissed’,” Nagisa grinned, “Makes me feel like a naughty headmaster of a private school!”  
  
Rin glared, “Come on… I want to go home.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and put his hands on his knees. “Okay, let’s just go over this one more time.”  
  
The three of them groaned in unison.  
  
“We know the plan,” Haruka grumbled.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, this is one of Yamato’s informants,” Rin sighed, “Yadda yadda, capture him, bring him in for questioning, bla bla bla.”  
  
“Please,” Rei forced a smile, “Let us go.”  
  
“Fiiiine!” Nagisa threw his hands up in the air.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Makoto was busy in his room, reading a textbook on biology. With his right hand, he was taking notes of every detail he thought to be important; which, at this stage, was pretty much everything. He had his headphones in, listening to something random. It was a little loud, distracting, but it was keeping him awake, which was important. The music’s volume suddenly dipped and he felt a vibration in his pants. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.  
  
A text message from someone under the name of ‘Nagisa Hazuki ♥’.  
  
His first thought was when did he add Nagisa’s phone number to his contact list; second, he wondered when did Nagisa swipe his phone (probably the festival) to put in his name? He looked at the little heart, which was cute. He wasn’t used to seeing hearts in his contact list, but he knew he’d keep that one.  
  
He also realised it was the first time he saw Nagisa’s last name.  
  
Chuckling, he checked the message.  
  
 _» Mako-chaaaaaaaaaaaan are you busy tomorrow night?_  
  
Makoto smiled as he quickly wrote a reply:  
  
 _« I have swim practice until six, but I’m free after that if you want to hang out?_  
  
 _» Well I was kinda thinking we could go for dinner then maybe come back to my place you know for the night since you do owe me one hurhurhur ;)_  
  
Makoto suddenly felt his cheeks burn and he swallowed hard, feeling his throat tighten.  
  
 _« Okay. Sure, that sounds nice._  
  
 _» You’re blushing right now arent you like a little schoooooool girl!_  
  
 _« Uh… yeah, I am actually, haha._  
  
 _» Muahahahahahahahaha! Hehe don’t worry Mako-chan I’m just teasing we won’t do anything you don’t want_  
 _» I’ll wait for you outside your gym or whatever ok?_  
  
 _« Sure, I’m looking forward to it._  
  
Makoto flipped his phone closed and swallowed hard. He looked back at his textbook and figured there was no way in hell he was going to be able to study any more tonight.  
  
He closed it and got out of his seat. He moved to his bed and crashed on it. Lying on his back, he looked up at the ceiling and gave a nervous chuckle. He couldn’t help but wonder if Nagisa was joking or… “No, he’s serious.” Makoto realised. Although he tried to fight it, he suddenly found himself smiling and he couldn’t stop it. He was nervous, of course, but what was more horrifying than having sex with Nagisa was the thought of going to dinner with Nagisa… his first date, his first real date.  
  
Was he supposed to pay?  
  
He was the ‘man’ wasn’t he?  
  
“Well, I _am_ taller…”  
  
But then he thought back to the festival and how Nagisa put a gun against him to win an argument. Nagisa definitely had his own ways of asserting dominance; that was for sure. Clasping his hands against his face, Makoto realised he’d worry himself sick if he kept thinking about it. He’d just offer to pay when the bill came, and then if Nagisa said anything he’d remind himself he was dealing with the boss of an illegal crime circle and that he should probably.  
  
“Just, don’t screw it up.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Makoto stepped out of the gym, trying to calm down the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. He bit his lip, wondering if he should call Nagisa or text him or something? He wasn’t sure, but walking down the hill he saw a blond sitting on a bench, looking off to the side. Nagisa was wearing a white t-shirt, with a light yellow vest overtop. The white collar of his t-shirt came over the vest; and, with black jeans, he looked like the cutest thing Makoto had ever seen in his life.  
  
Nagisa turned his head and suddenly noticed Makoto. Eyes going wide, he kicked off the bench and jumped at the brunet.  
  
Makoto caught the flying Nagisa and chuckled as he pulled the blond close. He nuzzled Nagisa’s neck and took in the blond’s scent; it was sweet like strawberries and something else, but he couldn’t figure out what that other smell was. It didn’t matter. It smelled nice.  
  
“Mako-chan!” Nagisa wrapped his legs around Makoto’s waist to support himself as he moved to kiss Makoto on the forehead. He felt strands of damp hair tickle his own forehead and he couldn’t help but chuckle.  
  
“You’re in a good mood,” Makoto pointed out as he kissed Nagisa’s cheek.  
  
“Of course I am!” Nagisa eventually slipped off the other one and landed on the ground. He took Makoto’s hand in his and grinned from ear to ear. “You look good!”  
  
“You look better.”  
  
Nagisa instantly chuckled and tilted his head. “You sure I’m the first person you dated? You’re pretty good at this boyfriend thing, you know!”  
  
Makoto smiled and let his fingers slip between Nagisa’s. “I haven’t lied to you, don’t worry. So, which way are we going?”  
  
“There’s a seafood place down the road, that way,” he said as he stuck his free hand out, pointing the direction. “I’ve never been there before, but apparently it’s really good. I made reservations for 6:20, so we still have some time. We can walk slowly, if you want.”  
  
“Sure, I’d like that,” he admitted, “Let’s go.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“It’s a little,” Nagisa chuckled, “Fancier than I expected.”  
  
Their table was far enough from the others, giving them some privacy, and it they so happened to have a wide view of the live band as well as the aquarium. The musicians were a jazz band, with a female singer who had a nice low voice.  
  
“I’m surprised, looks like we got the best seats in the house, Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa only chuckled at that.  
  
Makoto playfully raised an eyebrow, “Did you have something to do with that?”  
  
“Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe.” Nagisa grinned and looked down, taking the menu in his hands, “One of our clients own this restaurant actually.” He opened the menu and began reading the first page. “He was actually delighted to have us.”  
  
“Really?” Makoto asked honestly as he also opened his menu.  
  
Nagisa gave a fake pout, “Am I that scary?”  
  
“N-no! I just meant, since like, you know… considering what you do and all…”  
  
Nagisa laughed and bit his lip, giving a little shrug. “We’re on good terms, since we helped this place flourish with some sabotage. If we eat here, it means we’re still willing to play some cards in their favour. Of course, we can’t come here too often or they’ll get too comfortable with us. But if we don’t come here enough, they’ll forget they have ties with us.”  
  
“Wow,” Makoto chuckled, “You know… you’re a lot smarter than people give you credit for.”  
  
“I like it that way,” Nagisa admitted, “It makes the surprise easier. It’s what I’m good at I guess, people skills. You know, not sure if you’ll believe me, but Rin, Haru, and Rei… they all kinda suck when it comes to social skills.”  
  
Makoto tried not to laugh, but he knew it was true. He looked down at the menu, instantly noting the prices, expensive, but he would pay, unless Nagisa pulled a gun on him, again. “Wow,” he read one item after another, “These all look so good.”  
  
“Yeah!” Nagisa grinned, “Hmmm, that full seafood salad actually sounds really good. It’s got tuna, salmon, octopus, scallops… geez this list goes on.”  
  
“I might go for the ahi tuna,” Makoto mused aloud.  
  
“Oooo, I want a piece of yours if you get it!”  
  
“Sure,” he chuckled.  
  
Nagisa opened his mouth to say something else, but noticed a server approaching their table with plates. “We haven’t even ordered yet!”  
  
The man chucked and placed down the plates. “Small appetizers on the house, of course, Mr. Hazuki. Thank you again for coming. We have a plate of calamari and a shrimp cocktail with our made in house sauce. Please enjoy it, on our behalf. Can I get any drinks started for you two?”  
  
“Water’s fine for me,” Makoto nodded.  
  
“Just water?”  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto chuckled, “I don’t drink much else.”  
  
“Me too!” Nagisa grinned, “I can’t stand fizzy drinks…”  
  
The server, who really liked fizzy drinks, just forced a smile. “Then just two waters?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, then looked to Makoto. “I think we’re ready to order?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
The server nodded and then turned to Makoto.  
  
Makoto motioned to Nagisa, “Ladies first.”  
  
Nagisa just snorted, “ _Thanks!_ Jerk. I’ll have the Full Seafood Salad please!”  
  
Makoto tried to hide his smile, “And I’ll have the Seared Ahi Tuna.”  
  
“With potato wedges or garden salad?”  
  
“Potato wedges.”  
  
The server bowed a little before he left.  
  
Makoto looked at the two appetizers in front of them and then looked up to the blond. “You’re like a celebrity, getting free food for blessing them with your presence. Actually that sounds more like a god now that I think about it…”  
  
Nagisa cackled, “Uhuh, well I don’t mind. I didn’t think one main course could fill up my stomach anyway.” He used a fork and brought some calamari onto his smaller plate. “So, Mako-chan… what are you studying anyway?”  
  
“Oh, I’m in the sciences actually,” Makoto grabbed a shrimp and dipped it in the cocktail sauce before biting it. He made a pleased sound and put the tail on his plate. After chewing, and swallowing, he spoke again, “Just general sciences for now, but I’ve been thinking about going into medicine, maybe a doctor.”  
  
Meanwhile, Nagisa stabbed about eight calamari on his fork and shoved them all in his mouth. With big puffy cheeks, he chewed and made sure to swallow before speaking. “Really?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m not sure about it though, but I want to.”  
  
“That’s awesome!” Nagisa grinned, “You know doctors get paid a lot!”  
  
Makoto raised an eyebrow, “More than crime lords?”  
  
Nagisa stared at Makoto and just laughed loudly.  
  
Makoto chuckled and smiled, “I take that as a no?”  
  
“Not even close.”  
  
“So,” he tilted his head, “What do you do with all that money anyway?”  
  
“Well, after my own expenses, and Iwatobi’s expenses, I do… stuff.”  
  
“Can’t talk about it here?”  
  
Nagisa scratched the back of his head and looked to the side. “Nah, it’s not like that… I just don’t want to ruin my bad guy reputation you know?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“This stays between us, but I donate most of it. I mean, there’s just too much money for one person. Most of it goes to Iwatobi anyway, gotta pay all our members fairly, then gotta constantly buy ammunition and new guns and what-nots, but even after that there’s a lot of money. I don’t know, maybe I’m just not living lavishly enough or something. I considered buying a bigger house so I can pay maids to clean it, but I kinda like my small little hole in the wall.”  
  
Makoto chuckled and looked at Nagisa, staring in those dark pink eyes. “So, where do you donate anyway?”  
  
“Oh well, you know,” Nagisa shrugged.  
  
“You’re not going to tell me?”  
  
“Maybe if Mako-chan says please, first…”  
  
Makoto chuckled, “Will you please tell me?”  
  
“Sure,” Nagisa grinned in victory, but his smile became softer as he spoke. “Local food banks, for one, then I just keep an eye out for things that need it in the community. Like the elementary school in the next town over needed money to change all their textbooks to a better version, so… they got a cheque from an anonymous source who was willing to pay it all.”  
  
Makoto opened his mouth, then paused for a moment. “You know, you’re really not all that bad.”  
  
Nagisa pouted.  
  
“Sorry!” he chuckled and ate another shrimp.  
  
  
About ten minutes later, when Nagisa had devoured the rest of the appetizers and the main courses came, the conversation went down as they began eating. The food was good, and Nagisa decided that he could speak for both sides there was a food trade. he’d grab a bit of Makoto’s ahi tuna and then put an equal share of something from his salad onto Makoto’s dish. Makoto actually found it to be a good thing: They were both getting a variety, and Makoto was never a picky eater anyway. When the bill came, Nagisa refused to let Makoto pay and when Makoto tried to anyway, he noticed Nagisa stole his wallet.  
  
Nagisa won that argument, and he paid.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
They walked from the restaurant to Nagisa’s apartment, which was about twenty or so minutes of Nagisa hugging Makoto’s arm, side by side. Together. They were mostly in silence, save for the occasional banter, but it they were both smiling. Nagisa pointed at his building, and danced up the steps before he spun around to the door.  
  
“Here we are,” Nagisa sang happily as he slipped the key into the socket. After the sound of the door unlocking, he pushed open the door and stepped in. “It’s a small place, but it’s cozy.” He took another step in, giving Makoto enough room to enter as well, before he took his shoes off and kicked them to the side.  
  
Makoto entered and took his shoes off as well, green eyes looking around and noting the small kitchen. “Looks like a nice place, Nagisa.”  
  
“Thanks!” He walked over to the living room and stretched his arms out.  
  
Makoto followed, looking around. He saw what looked like a stand, but nothing on it. “Is this a pedestal on display or something?”  
  
Nagisa blinked and looked over, then started chuckling. “Oh I used to have a vase there, but I bashed it against the side of someone’s head.  
  
“Oh, that’s… nice.”  
  
Nagisa giggled before he took both of Makoto’s hands and pulled them to make sure he was looking at him. “Kiss me.”  
  
Makoto immediately leaned down, pressing their lips together. He felt his cheeks turn pink but he closed his eyes and ignored the heat rising.  
  
Nagisa smiled into the kiss, kissing back. He slipped a hand away from Makoto’s and placed it gently over the brunet’s face, cupping his cheek.  
  
Makoto felt his heart beat fast and wrapped his free arm around Nagisa’s waist, pulling him a bit closer. When Nagisa opened his mouth to give him entrance, he tentatively slipped his tongue forward, feeling it brush up against Nagisa’s.  
  
Nagisa smiled as he felt his knees wiggle and tingle. He couldn’t remember the last time something as simple as a _kiss_ could do that to him. No, it wasn’t the kiss, he realised: It was Makoto, Mako-chan. _His_ Mako-chan. He breathed through his nose and moved his hand back, slipping it into Makoto’s hair, fingers playing between the soft, brown strands.  
  
Makoto could feel himself melt into the kiss, mind going numb from the heat rising in his core. He made a soft noise into the kiss, a moan, and his cheeks burned.  
  
Slowly, Nagisa pulled away, only enough to have a centimetre between them, and he kept his hand in the other’s hair. “Mako-chan… do you want, to move this to the bedroom?”  
  
Makoto’s eyes opened for a moment and he swallowed hard. He gave a shy, but eager smile, “Yeah.”  
  
Nagisa had a devil’s grin on his lips as he stepped back. Still having one hand in Makoto’s, he pulled the brunet over to the bedroom. A small room, with a double bed in the centre, with the headboard against the far wall. Nagisa suddenly paused, as he noted the blue bed covers with dancing penguins all over it, “Should have probably changed that…”  
  
Makoto just chuckled and leaned down to kiss Nagisa’s cheek.  
  
Nagisa’s smile returned and he broke away from Makoto. He tugged his light yellow vest and slipped it off, and soon his white t-shirt also fell on the floor. He looked over to Makoto, realising it was the first time he was _really_ seeing his body. Nagisa made a silly pose and chuckled, “Do you like?”  
  
“Y-yeah,” Makoto stuttered, completely flustered.  
  
Nagisa crossed the distance between them and started unbuttoning Makoto’s shirt. When he was done, he slipped a hand against Makoto’s chest and grazed his fingers over the muscled body. “Hmm, maybe this is why Haruka likes swimmers so much…”  
  
Makoto’s cheeks burned as the shirt fell off. His pants were already tented and with the way he felt Nagisa’s fingers—cool to his heated skin—a shiver ran down his spine and he placed a hand by Nagisa’s waist, on the side. He figured if Nagisa was touching him, he could touch back. He moved a hand up the blond’s side, feeling the soft skin beneath his fingers. He couldn’t help but release a soft sound.  
  
Nagisa looked up and chuckled.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard. There was something in Nagisa’s eyes that was purely dangerous and it excited him. “Nagisa…”  
  
“Yes, Mako-chan?”  
  
“Is it… I mean, can I? I mean…” Makoto’s hands moved down to the front of Nagisa’s jeans, “Is it okay if I…?”  
  
“Whatever you want,” Nagisa chuckled and kissed the centre of the brunet’s chest, tasting the slight saltiness of skin.  
  
Makoto took in a deep breath, slowly unbuttoning the jeans, then grabbing the zipper. His cheeks went red, but he slowly pulled it down.  
  
Nagisa wiggled his hips, letting it pool by his feet. He slipped his feet out of his socks, and was left in only a loose pair of light pink undies, a noticeable tent forming at the centre of it all. He pulled away from Makoto, wiggling his butt as he walked to the bed. He went on all fours and turned to face the brunet and made a little ‘come here’ gesture with two fingers.  
  
Makoto approached automatically.  
  
Nagisa chuckled and moved his hands over Makoto’s waist. He bit his lip playfully, tilting his head to the side as he hummed a little tune. He worked on unbuttoning and unzipping Makoto’s pants before he grabbed the sides, tugging it down.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard and stepped out of his pants. He had a tighter pair of green boxers on, and he quickly removed his white socks. He moved onto the bed, sitting on his knees and cast a worried look to Nagisa.  
  
“You look so scared,” Nagisa chuckled and cupped Makoto’s face before he pressed their lips together. Pulling back, he smiled. “Just relax, okay? Do you know what to do, or… I mean do you want me to…?”  
  
“I know what to do,” Makoto nodded, “I have to prepare you, right?”  
  
Nagisa gave a little nod and moved back. He pulled out one of the bedside drawers and grabbed a small cylinder of lube. “Look, it’s pink!” He tossed it to the brunet.  
  
Makoto blinked and caught it. He examined it; and, when he looked back up, Nagisa was completely naked, light pink undies flung across the room. His breath hitched for a moment, and he saw Nagisa’s body, nude, in front of him and he swallowed hard.  
  
Nagisa moved onto his back, wiggling his knees from side to side in a teasing manner, as he chuckled. “You can touch me you know…”  
  
Makoto instantly leaned forward. His hand went over Nagisa’s shoulder. Slowly, so very slowly, it moved down, fingers grazing over the collarbone, over the ribs, thumb over the stomach; his hand went down to Nagisa’s waist, then up one leg, and down again until he swallowed hard and looked at Nagisa. His hand moved, fingers curling around the blond’s length.  
  
“Ah,” Nagisa let out a noise playfully.  
  
Makoto could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He moved his hand down, lowering the hood and revealing the pink head underneath. Slowly, he started stroking Nagisa, moving his hand up and down, up and down, developing a rhythm.  
  
Nagisa bit his lip and made a ‘mmm’ noise, moving his knees away from each other, furthering the display.  
  
Makoto took in the sight of Nagisa’s body and his manhood twitched under his boxers.  
  
Nagisa ran his hands over his own chest, closing his eyes and letting out a short noise. “Feels good, Mako-chan.” Dark pink eyes opened and he grinned, “But I want more.”  
  
“Sh-should I start preparing you now?”  
  
“Relax,” Nagisa said with a smile. “Sure, but first you should take off your undies!”  
  
Makoto looked down and nodded. He felt a little shy, knowing he’d be naked in front of Nagisa, but then remembered it wasn’t the first time Nagisa would be touching him. He slipped off his boxers and threw them to the floor, not caring where they landed. His cock sprung up, but he ignored it for now. He opened the vial of lube and smeared some of the thicker substances onto his fingers. He suddenly felt his stomach turn and he looked up, “Nagisa… is this really okay?”  
  
“Mako-chan, don’t be an idiot,” Nagisa chuckled, “Of course this is okay, I want this as much as you do.”  
  
“O-okay, just making sure.” Makoto swallowed hard and slowly brought his hand down to Nagisa’s entrance. He rubbed a slick finger against the hole and made eye contact as he slowly pushed in.  
  
Nagisa let out a little pleased noise, making sure to keep himself relaxed as it slipped inside him. Usually, he preferred to just skip preparations but considering how big Makoto was, he figured there was no harm in it.  
  
Makoto felt the warm heat around his finger as he pushed it in. He could only imagine how it would feel around his… His knuckle brushed up against the hole and he began pulling out. “Am I going too fast?”  
  
“Not at all,” Nagisa smiled.  
  
Makoto nodded, more to himself than to Nagisa and looked up again. “Should I… Can I add another finger?”  
  
“Sure!”  
  
Makoto smiled a little and pulled out; he pressed two fingers against each other before he began pushing them in.  
  
Nagisa kept himself relaxed, biting his lip as he felt it slide inside. He moved a hand down, grabbing his own length and began stroking himself.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard as he watched Nagisa touch himself right in front of him. He bit his own lip, trying not to let a noise slip by. When the knuckles of hit the hole again, he moved back, pulling out, then he pushed in again.  
  
“Mmmm,” Nagisa let out a noise, humming happily as his hand moved up and down slowly.  
  
“Can I use three now?”  
  
Nagisa nodded with a grin. “Do you like how I feel?”  
  
“Y-yeah,” he admitted as he pushed in a third finger. He felt Nagisa squeeze down on his fingers and he stopped moving as his cheeks flushed. He looked up at Nagisa and swallowed hard, before he continued to move in and out.  
  
Nagisa closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the feeling. His toes curled a little, “Ah… _there_.”  
  
Makoto blinked and felt his fingers brush up against something. He pushed against it and felt Nagisa squeeze around his fingers. He swallowed hard, figuring that was the prostate, and continued to rub it.  
  
“Mmm, Mako-chan,” he whispered, bringing his knees together. “Mako-chan, I want you inside me.”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard and nodded. He pulled out his fingers and used his other hand to pour a bit more lube onto his fingers. He finally stroked himself, coating his cock with lube. He leaned over grabbing his cock and pushing the head against the hole—just the touch was enough to making his spine tingle. “Nagisa,” he looked at the blond, “Is this okay? I mean, do you want this?”  
  
“Mako-chan, you make my little boy nipples so hard they can cut diamonds— _Yes_ I want this, so please, _please_ don’t stop now, okay?”  
  
Makoto blinked, before he chuckled. The little jab of humour relieved some of his tension and he nodded slowly before he pushed in the head. Instantly, he gasped and closed his eyes, feeling the tight warmth around the head of his cock. “Fuck,” he whispered before he slowly pushed in another inch.  
  
“Ah,” Nagisa gasped as he felt the head of the cock enter him. Teasingly, he bit his lip and squeezed on Makoto just to see how he would react.  
  
Makoto of course opened his mouth, silently gasping as he closed his eyes, almost losing his grip right then and there. “Na-gi-sa!”  
  
Nagisa put a hand over his mouth to try to hide his chuckle, but he ended up laughing anyway. “Sorry!”  
  
Makoto opened his eyes and saw Nagisa’s naked body beneath him. His eye widened and he pushed another inch in.  
  
Nagisa breathed in, and then breathed out. He focused on that breathing to make sure he didn’t tense up. The feeling of Makoto’s manhood moving inside him made his cock twitch and he continued to stroke it, making a sweet noise.  
  
Makoto gasped as he kept moving in, feeling the tight heat hug his cock as he pushed it in.  
  
Nagisa smirked and raised a hand, grabbing the back of Makoto’s neck. Slowly, he pulled the brunet down and mashed their lips together.  
  
Makoto was slightly surprised, but it wasn’t unwelcomed. He kissed Nagisa passionately as he continued to move in, until the base of his cock was up against the blond. He broke the kiss to gasp for air.  
  
“Mmmm, Mako-chan…” Nagisa shivered, knees wiggling, toes curling. “You can start moving, you know…”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard and nodded. He moved his hips back, and heard Nagisa make a little whining noise beneath him. He couldn’t help but push forward again, feeling the tight walls around his cock and he shivered. “Fuck,” he whispered and pushed until he was completely sheathed again.  
  
Nagisa made another noise, and he continued to stroke himself. His other hand moved to the side, grabbing the bed sheets, sending wrinkles up and down. “M-Makoto…”  
  
“Y-yeah, Nagisa?”  
  
“Faster, please…”  
  
How could he deny Nagisa? Makoto gave a little nod and placed one hand by Nagisa’s shoulder, pressing down on the sheets for support. His other hand cupped Nagisa face and he brought his lips down, kissing him once again. At the same time, his hips began to make a rhythm, in and out, in and out. He began to speed up, as much as he could, and felt his knees shake, as if they were going to shatter.  
  
Nagisa moaned into the kiss, feeling a red streak go from one cheek to the other. He continued to stroke himself. He raised his shaking legs, curling them around Makoto’s waist, pulling him closer every time he thrusted in. He pushed his tongue against the other and moaned once again into the kiss.  
  
Makoto steady pumps began to gain speed and he felt Nagisa’s body squeeze around him and he broke the kiss, “Ah…” His eyes snapped close and he let out a desperate noise.  
  
Nagisa’s hand that was squeezing the bed sheet moved, curling around Makoto’s neck. He pulled himself up, just a little bit, and nuzzled the brunet’s neck, just wanting to be _closer_. “M-Mako…”  
  
“Nagisa,” Makoto whispered in a heavy voice as he continued thrusting, “Nagisa…”  
  
Hearing him whisper his name in such a lust-filled voice sent a shiver down Nagisa’s spine. He swallowed hard as his own hand, over his cock, began to move faster, matching the rhythm of the thrusts. “Makoto, I think, I’m gonna…”  
  
“Me too,” Makoto kissed Nagisa’s cheek as he kept moving.  
  
“M-Mako, M-M-Ma-ako…” Nagisa closed his eyes, feeling his body tense. He nuzzled the brunet’s neck as his shoulders tingled, knees wiggled, and he bit his lip, letting out a cry, as his body tightened.  
  
Makoto gasped, feeling the blond squeeze around his cock.  
  
“Ah, ah!” Nagisa took in a large gasp of air as he came, releasing himself between their body.  
  
At the same time, Nagisa’s body squeezed around Makoto’s cock even more and Makoto cried out as he also came, deep inside the blond.  
  
Both of them were still, feeling the after waves of pleasure, and panted heavily.  
  
Makoto pulled out slowly and then crashed on the bed next to Nagisa. He kept his eyes closed, but smiled when he felt Nagisa roll over to lean on him. He slipped an arm around Nagisa and pulled him close.  
  
Nagisa nuzzled Makoto’s chest and gave a happy little sigh. “Maako-chan…”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I wuv you.”  
  
Makoto chuckled and leaned over, smooching Nagisa’s forehead. “I love you too.”


	16. Part 13: Revenge

Makoto was on his back and felt something warm next to him; no, it wasn’t _just_ warm… it was comforting and soft, and he moved his head forward, nuzzling it, nuzzling the soft strands of blond hair. His arms were wrapped around it and he took in the scent. Everything in his mind just clicked: Nagisa, it was Nagisa. He slowly opened his green eyes, instantly blinking as sunshine blinded him. Eventually, he managed to open his eyes, and saw Nagisa leaning on his chest, face smooshed against the area where his neck met shoulder.  
  
Makoto smiled, recalling last night, and he kissed Nagisa’s forehead.  
  
Nagisa instantly grinned. Peaking one dark pink eye open, he chuckled. “Mornin’, Mako-chaan.”  
  
Makoto smiled and pulled the blond closer. “Good morning.” He slowly moved one hand up, slipping it into the blond’s soft hair. He smiled and closed his eyes, content with everything. He gave out a little happy sigh and leaned back on the bed.  
  
Nagisa moved an arm over Makoto’s chest, hugging him, and he couldn’t help but smile.  
  
How long did the two of them stay like that?  
  
Eventually, Nagisa’s stomach growled and he pouted. “I need breakfast…”  
  
“Should we get up?” Makoto turned his head to look at the blond.  
  
“Mhm,” Nagisa made a whining noise, but eventually pulled himself to his feet. “Hmm, maybe we should shower first, together.”  
  
“Together?” Makoto’s eyes widened a little and his cheeks flushed.  
  
Nagisa giggled and kissed his cheek, “Don’t worry, we don’t have to do anything.” He slipped out of the sheets and stretched with a smile on his face.  
  
Makoto swallowed hard and nodded sheepishly. When he saw the blond looking at him expectantly, he realised he should probably get out of the bed; but, when he did, he felt a little shy about his nudity and put his hands over his crotch.  
  
“Oh my God, Mako-chan, don’t be such a little girl!” Nagisa cackled, but turned around so he wouldn’t be looking at Makoto head on. “You know, if you weren’t going to be a doctor, you could have always gone for pornstar with a dick like that!”  
  
Makoto just meeped.  
  
As much as Nagisa loved to tease, he knew he shouldn’t tease _too_ much. He didn’t want to make Makoto uncomfortable after all. He walked over to the bathroom and then turned on the water for the shower.  
  
“Um,” Makoto swallowed hard as he stared at the mirror. “Something happened?”  
  
Nagisa looked over his shoulder; it took him a moment to realise Makoto was referring to the huge cracks and he just laughed. “Someone bashed my head against it, long story.”  
  
“Oh, how… nice.”  
  
“Same person who I bashed the vase against,” he touched the water, making sure it was warm enough before he stepped in and wiggled his butt for Makoto to follow. “Coming?”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard and stepped into the shower. It was a small shower, square shaped with a blurred glass door. He was both excited and horrified to be so close to Nagisa’s body, especially as the warm water ran over the blond’s form. He took a good look at his boyfriend, surprised that there was actually some muscle on his body.  
  
Beneath baggy street clothes or his suit, Nagisa actually had muscle from constant running and exercise, needing to keep in shape for when a mission was due. He didn’t have half as much muscle as Rin or Makoto, but he wasn’t all just soft skin.  
  
Makoto watched until those dark pink eyes looked back at him.  
  
“Staring is rude, Mako-chan!”  
  
“Ah, uh, sorry!” Makoto bowed, or tried to bow considering how small the shower was.  
  
Nagisa cackled before slipping his arms around Makoto’s neck and pulling himself up so he could push their lips together for a short kiss. “I’m just teasing; don’t worry, you can stare at your boyfriend as much as you want—that’s why I’m your boyfriend!”  
  
Makoto blushed and nodded.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After their shower, which included no sexual activities because Makoto was too embarrassed and Nagisa didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, they dried off. Nagisa slipped on a new pair of clothes, while Makoto wore what he came in. He figured it was okay considering he changed into it after swim practice, and then threw it off less than five hours later when he got in bed with Nagisa.  
  
“So, Nagisa, what’s the plan?”  
  
“Mmm, breakfast time!” Nagisa stepped into the kitchen, shaking his damp hair and letting droplets of water fly everywhere. “We’re having cereal—because that’s the only thing I can make! Well, I can also make mac’ and cheese, but then I’d eat it all and not share because mac’ and cheese is kinda more important than my boyfriend.”  
  
Makoto laughed loudly and scratched the back of his neck, “I meant, what are you doing today?”  
  
Nagisa turned around and put a finger to his lips, thinking for a moment. “Oh, I got to go to work today… but you can come too!”  
  
Makoto blinked and smiled, “Really?”  
  
“You just wanna see Haru-chan!”  
  
“You know that’s not completely true,” Makoto said with a smile as he leaned down and smooched Nagisa’s cheek. “So, anything interesting going on in the crime world?”  
  
Nagisa grinned at the kiss and he pulled out his phone, flipping it open. “Actually yeah, we got another kidnapping request. It’s to do with your uncle, not in a bad way though. Apparently he’s been speaking to people to get info on us, and this guy wanted to give him info for cash—which makes us wonder _how_ this person knows about us.”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto blinked, not completely sure how he was supposed to respond.  
  
Nagisa read the message on his phone and smiled, “Apparently they got him and everything went well, Rei-chan got shot though... but Haru-chan’s nursing him back to health,” he looked up, “Kinda cute, huh?”  
  
Makoto thought back to his previous conversation with Rei and forced a smile. “He sounds like the type that would be grumpy if he’s being nursed back to health…”  
  
“It’s just bandages,” Nagisa chuckled, “But you’re right, he is. But, he’ll be nice since it’s Haru-chan, and I’m sure Haru-chan won’t mind because HarHar has had the _biggest_ crush on him since like forever!”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After breakfast, which was cereal, Nagisa got one of the juniors to pick them up and give them a ride. Makoto was blindfolded, again.  
  
“Is this really necessary?” he asked with a sigh, “You know I wouldn’t give you guys away.”  
  
“It’s for your safety, too, Mako-chan,” Nagisa explained. “You could be in a situation where you’re forced to give away information. I’m sowwy.”  
  
Hearing Nagisa say ‘sowwy’ made Makoto a lot more agreeable as he couldn’t help but smile.  
  
  
After the car ride, Nagisa entered the building and went down to the basement, Makoto following behind him. First thing Nagisa noticed, of course, was a larger man, probably in late forties, brown hair, brown eyes, tied up to a chair. There was something… familiar about him. He figured that was the target (because who else would randomly be tied to a chair in the middle of the room) and he looked over to Haruka and Rei. “Morning. How’s the injury?”  
  
“It looked worse than it was,” Haruka admitted, “He’ll be fine.”  
  
Rei nodded.  
  
Nagisa had a small sigh of relief and then looked over to the man in the chair. “What’s the situation?”  
  
“I’m not sure if you remember,” Rei said with pursed lips as he fiddled with something on his phone, “But this is San Yitagi, our target, who also happens to be an old informant of ours. He was going to sell us out to Tachibana, but we managed to get him in time. Still, he’s not cooperating. I don’t think he understands his position.”  
  
Nagisa pursed his lips and nodded, noting the man was neither blindfolded nor had ear plugs. His dark pink eyes moved back to Rei, then Haruka, then he scanned the room. “We can get Rin to loosen him up a little. Speaking of, where is he?”  
  
“Getting his boyfriend time,” Haruka replied simply as he crossed the distance. His arms slipped around Makoto’s waist and he hugged the brunet tight.  
  
Makoto hugged back with a chuckle.  
  
“Of course he is,” Nagisa muttered, “Can one of you call him back? Rin’s the best there is at this job, and I want the best.”  
  
“I’ll get on it,” Rei nodded.  
  
Haruka moved away from Makoto, back beside Rei. A sort of nonverbal way to tell Rei not to worry about anything.  
  
“You know,” Makoto tilted his head, “You’re kinda sexy when you’re all business.”  
  
Nagisa blinked, “I am?”  
  
Haruka just nodded.  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Very much so,” Rei admitted as he put his phone down. “He says they’re coming down now.”  
  
“Good,” Nagisa grinned.  
  
As if on cue, Rin stepped down the stairs and entered the basement, Nitori behind him, and he crossed his arms. “You called?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Our guy won’t cooperate.” With a movement of his head, he motioned to the man tied up on the chair.  
  
“Oh, I see,” Rin chuckled, “So you want me to–”  
  
“—Nitori,” Haruka interrupted.  
  
Rin blinked and then turned his head to look at the operative in question.  
  
Nitori was frozen, eyes wide as he stared at the man in the chair.  
  
San looked up and his jaw twitched.  
  
“Ai,” Rin spoke softly, “You know him?”  
  
When Nitori didn’t reply, San did. “We’re old friends…”  
  
Nitori’s left eye twitched and one hand balled into a fist. “Wh-what did you say?”  
  
“We’re old friends!” San swallowed hard, “I mean, we are, right? Right?”  
  
That’s when everything changed.  
  
Nitori took a step forward, then another, then another. He pulled out his gun, flicking off the safety and pushing it against the man’s forehead.  
  
Haruka’s eyes widened, “Nitori.”  
  
“Ai!” Rin shouted.  
  
“Y-you…” Nitori’s eyes narrowed, “Y-you sick fuck…”  
  
“It wasn’t my fault,” San defended, “It was your mother’s fault! She’s the one that was selling you!”  
  
Makoto blinked, “Selling?”  
  
  
 _Nitori blinked. “Wow… that sounds…”  
  
“Awful?” Nagisa supplied.  
  
“Well, yeah, but I was going to say… that kind of, sounds…” Nitori looked down, “Nice.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, looking up from his bowl. “Nice?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nitori looked up, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Like, imagine everyone who even did a little bit of wrong to you was punished for it. That would be nice.”_  
  
  
Rin felt his jaw tighten, but he just watched for now.  
  
“It was your mother’s fault,” San repeated.  
  
Nitori pushed the barrel of the gun against his forehead. “Right, so that means you’re innocent… it doesn’t matter that you paid once a week to violate me. I’m… I’m going to fucking kill you.”  
  
Nagisa pursed his lips, “Nitori, we need him.”  
  
The man swallowed hard, “Maybe, maybe we can work something out! Come on, you’re still the sweet little Nitori I know.”  
  
Nitori’s hand squeezed around the gun and his eyes burned. “I’m not… I’m not that weak kid you used to have your way with. I’m stronger.”  
  
“Deep down inside, I bet you’re still–”  
  
Nitori had enough. He moved the gun, aiming for the man’s shoulder and fired. A gunshot cracked in the air, and was followed by the sound of the man screaming. “I’m not the same person. I-I, I said I’m stronger!”  
  
The man screamed and scowled, “Yeah right! It’s just a gun! If you didn’t have that you’d be the same little bitch that took it like a slut!”  
  
Rei swallowed hard and looked to Rin, “Stop him.”  
  
“Nah,” Rin smiled, “Looks like he’s got this handled.”  
  
“A gun doesn’t make someone strong,” Nitori said in a calm voice, something so tranquil, so unlike him that it made even him shiver. “You don’t believe me?” With his free hand, he pulled out a knife and cut the ropes around the man’s hand. He tossed the knife to the side, the sound of metal banging the floor, sliding across it, and then Nitori used his free hand to force his gun in San’s hand, making his index finger curl over the trigger.  
  
“What are you–?”  
  
Nitori kneeled down and pressed the barrel of the gun upwards, against his own chin so that if it fired it would go through his brain.  
  
Nagisa blinked in confusion, “Aiichiro?”  
  
“You’ve got the gun now,” Nitori pointed out, “Does it make you strong? Shoot me. Shoot me if the gun makes you strong. I said… I said shoot me!” He raised his voice, suddenly shouting, “Shoot me! Pull the trigger! Do it! I said shoot me, damnit! What’s wrong? You have the gun! That makes you strong! So shoot me!”  
  
San swallowed hard, feeling his hands shake. As much as he wanted to do it, he couldn’t. His finger, though against the trigger, couldn’t pull it. His hand was frozen. He couldn’t fire. “I can’t!”  
  
Nitori stood up, snatching the gun back and pushing it against the man’s head again. He felt someone grab his wrist, and he closed his eyes. In that instant, he knew he was going to be stopped so he pulled the trigger.  
  
Another gunshot cracked, but this time only silence followed.  
  
A bullet was jammed into the ceiling.  
  
Nitori opened his eyes to see Rin right in front of him. He felt the redhead take the gun from his hand and he swallowed hard. He realised what he did and looked down, “I’m… sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be, Ai.”  
  
Nitori looked up.  
  
“I don’t know the whole story between you and this fucker,” Rin looked at the man in question and made a disgusted face. “But we need this guy alive. ‘Alive’, Nitori. I didn’t say we need him in mint condition. So take it from me, it feels better when you use your fists.”  
  
Nitori blinked, “What?”  
  
Rin leaned down, pressing his lips against Nitori’s cheeks. “Go nuts,” he smiled before stepping away, “Have fun.”  
  
Nitori went silent, looking at the man who was shaking in fear. He could feel everyone looking at him, but he didn’t care. He slowly raised a hand. For someone who was usually quiet, adrenaline and hate were pumping in his veins. He could feel his hands shake and he formed fists again. “I… fucking hate you.” Winding back, he threw his fist punch in the man’s gut.  
  
The man coughed violently and then wheezed as he tried to recover  
  
Pulling back, Nitori quickly brought a second punch to his chest. Using his left hand, the third punch was thrown on San’s rib. After that was the fourth, then fifth, then sixth, and then the following ones became a blur as one attack melted into the next. Nitori exploded with rage and began screaming as he attacked the man.  
  
Rei swallowed hard and looked away in horror.  
  
Makoto did the same.  
  
Haruka stared with an absent expression.  
  
Nagisa was just curious to see how it would go.  
  
Rin, though, was smiling as he watched Nitori go berserk. His eyebrows shot up as Nitori kicked the man in the chest, sending the chair back, and then jumped on the man and continued to beat the shit out of him. It was like watching an angry ball of terror unleash everything it had been trying to keep down inside.  
  
After five minutes of pure violence, Nitori’s punches finally began slowing down. His hands were sore and knuckles were bleeding, but it was nothing compared to the bloody mess he left San in.  
  
Rin figured the show was over, so he slowly stepped forward.  
  
Nitori pushed himself to his feet; and, for a reason he didn’t quite understand, he started crying. He felt Rin slip an arm around him and he pushed his head in the redhead’s chest. “I’m… I’m so happy. I… hope I didn’t look pathetic.”  
  
“It was sexy,” Rin admitted.  
  
Nitori looked up, blinking.  
  
“Well, you scared the hell out of Rei and Makoto, but I thought it was sexy. Maybe I’m weird, same way you like my teeth.”  
  
Nitori wiped his tears away on his sleeves and smiled, “Really?”  
  
“Oh yeah.”  
  
“I… think I need some fresh air.”  
  
Rin nodded. “Can I come with you?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nitori nodded.  
  
Haruka watched the two of them leave and the room fell into silence. Blinking, only one word left his mouth: “Wow.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled, crossing his arms. “Oh well, we were going to ask Rin to do the same thing anyway!”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard, then looked at Nagisa. “When he said, selling…”  
  
“Nitori was a prostitute,” Nagisa said simply, “With no birth certificate, so he was exploited since he wasn’t really a person. Don’t worry, he has one now. We forged it for him, was his birthday present actually. But, he’s right though.” He looked at Makoto and smiled, “He’s not the same person anymore.”  
  
Rei cleared his throat, “That was disturbing to watch. I’m not usually one to condone that kind of violence, but… I think Rin understood Nitori needed it.”  
  
Haruka nodded.  
  
Makoto looked at the man who was bleeding and whining on the floor, and his lips pursed as he realised he was someone who violated others. “Good for him, Nitori I mean.”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After washing the blood off Nitori’s hand, and putting Hello Kitty band-aids (Nagisa made sure that was what Iwatobi used) on the cuts, Nitori and Rin went outside. Nitori took a seat on the steps and hugged his knees. He looked up, noting it was a cloudy day and he smiled as Rin took a seat next to him. “I… have a confession to make, Rin.”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“When… I was forced to work at the brothel,” Nitori pursed his lips, “I had this… fantasy. This fantasy that some guy would save me, take me away, like I was a damsel in distress. I had this dream he’d fall in love with me, but back then… I had this, warped sense of self, I think. I don’t know. I didn’t think I was worth anything, and I didn’t know how or why anyone could love me, so I fantasized that I would give him my body. Since, you know, that’s the one thing I was good at, so when you and Haruka shot my mom and took me away, I guess I tried fitting you two into the fantasy.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, “Really?”  
  
“Yeah, I thought it was Haruka at first… but it somehow shifted to you.”  
  
“Somehow?”  
  
“Ah, well,” Nitori felt his cheeks redden as he bit his lower lip. “I became sexually attracted to you.”  
  
Rin chuckled, “That’s all it took?”  
  
“Well, it was different for me,” Nitori felt his jaw tighten, “I worked as a prostitute… after you work as a sex worker, that kinda thing isn’t easy. I mean, enjoying the feeling when it’s just me was alright, I still touched myself, but the thought of someone else touching usually me made want to run away and hide. But, I liked you. I could get turned on by you. I don’t know why… I think it’s because you’re so, forward with what you want. You don’t take shit from anyone, you don’t bother lying or pretending. You’re brutally honest and I think I like that. I don’t even know if I’m making sense…”  
  
“You are,” he nodded.  
  
“Anyway… When Rei had that idea of hooking us up, you know, getting us together, I thought it was part of my fantasy. I was going to give my body to you, but… but it was so different from what I was expecting. I thought this guy, from my fantasy, was supposed to take my body, use my body, use me to the fullest, but you… you kept asking me if it was okay, and you were gentle, and you cared whether I was enjoying it or not and I don’t know… I kinda realised how wrong, and messed up and stupid my sick fantasy was. And then, I guess I kinda realised I prefer the real you over some weird, twisted fantasy… and I don’t know, I’m just rambling.”  
  
Rin smiled softly and leaned over, kissing Nitori’s cheek. “So, I have a question then.”  
  
Nitori blinked, “Huh?”  
  
“So, right now, what am I to you? Am I that fantasy?” Rin looked away, “We’ve, we’ve never talked about it, I mean, what’s goin’ on between us you know? It just sort of happened, and when I think about it, it’s been over a month. Not once have we chatted it up. So, I guess now’s the best time.”  
  
Nitori hugged his knees and looked to his feet. “You’re not the fantasy I had. I tried to fit you into it, but you’re not him. You’re you, and I think I prefer that. I don’t want some guy to come in and save me, I want you. I love you.”  
  
Rin felt his jaw tighten and he looked at the other, “Really?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Smiling, Rin felt his cheeks warm. “You’re… you’re not just pulling my leg are you?”  
  
“You’re so good to me,” Nitori pointed out, “You’re so sweet and gentle, and you understand me. I… don’t know. I feel like you made me stronger. You made me feel like I can do what I really want to do. You make me feel like I’m worth something, and after being told that I’m just an object for so many years, I… I’m so glad I met you. Honestly,” he looked over to Rin and swallowed hard, “I love you.”  
  
Rin grinned wide and smooshed their lips together for a short kiss. “I love you too, Ai.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
The two of them returned to the basement together, and as soon as Nagisa noticed them he pouted and raised his voice. “Nitori, you broke a chair! Geez!”  
  
Rin snorted.  
  
Nitori blinked, before he realised it was a joke and he chuckled. “Sorry! Take it out of my paycheck.”  
  
“Nah,” Nagisa shrugged, “It was an ugly chair. I’ll just say you did it on behalf of the fashion police!”  
  
Rin smacked his hand over his face and shook his head. “Did you guys start the questioning yet?”  
  
“Not yet,” Haruka replied.  
  
Rei nodded, “Letting him bleed out a little bit more first.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Man, Nit’ you really packed a lot of punch there! Nice job!”  
  
“Th-thanks…”  
  
Rin leaned down and smooched his cheek.  
  
Makoto laughed loudly, and then scratched the back of his head. “That just reminded me of when I first met you guys… I was convinced you were some kidnapping matchmaking service.”  
  
Nagisa cackled and ran up to Makoto and hugged him tight.  
  
Haruka’s eyes narrowed. “It might be funny, but I wasn’t kidding. We _are_ getting married.”  
  
“Yes, yes we are,” Makoto chuckled.  
  
Nagisa suddenly raised a hand, “And I’m still the maid of honour! Oooo I’m attending my boyfriend’s wedding as the maid of honour, that’s scandalous!”  
  
Rin smirked, “So Nagisa… are you going to wear a dress?”  
  
Haruka looked up, “You should.”  
  
Nagisa pouted, “But I don’t like lady clothes!”  
  
Makoto raised an eyebrow, “You sound like you have experience.”  
  
Rei snickered before smiling knowingly, “He does.”  
  
Nitori nodded, “But we’re not allowed to talk about it, even if it’s a funny story.”  
  
“Whaaat?” Nagisa frowned, “Even our grunts have heard this story?”  
  
“Now I want to know,” Makoto smiled teasingly.  
  
“Never!” Nagisa shouted in horror, “Never, ever, ever! I don’t care how big your dick is, Mako-chan, we’re dropping this subject or I’m shooting someone!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple announcements if anyone is interested: 1) With this wraps up the Rin/Nitori sub-plot. I admit, I really didn't think this fic would be this long, but I really enjoyed writing all this. 2) If my estimates are right, the fic will go up until Part 16, though there will be Case of's and of course an epilogue. 3) My uploading speed may dip a little, as I am participating in NaNoWriMo this month, though I promise I will keep writing this fic... I think the only chance I have at winning NaNoWriMo is by finishing Sex, Lies, and Guns first. This fic has sucked me in... if my upload speed hasn't given that away yet. XD
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	17. Part 14: Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, it's been a while... hasn't it? I can't believe how long it took me to update this, but it's NaNoWriMo. For those interesting, I am enjoying it a lot, and I am doing very well so far. Back to SLG, here we have a new chapter! Yay! I mentioned this before, but we're nearing the end of this fic and it makes me so happy and proud and just so thankful for everyone's support, but it also makes me a little sad because it's going to be over in only a few more updates. Ahhh, bitter-sweetness... I'm gonna have to find a strange way to channel my crazies when this fic is over, LOL. Anyway, sorry for blabbing, please enjoy~! And thank you for waiting, <3

It was an upbeat tune Makoto was singing along to as the warm water washed over his naked body. His hips swayed from side to side playfully, which was probably because no one could see him in the shower. He sploshed his hand, full of shampoo, onto his hair and swished it around. He was trying to figure out what song he was singing—He was sure he’d heard it on the radio, or at least that was the most probable place he heard it. But it was a happy song, and he was in a happy mood.  
  
He ducked his head under the water, closing his eyes as the water turned white and foamy due to the shampoo. His fingers played between his strands of olive-brown hair, making sure there were no pockets of white.  
  
He continued to hum and then moved back to grab the conditioner. He put a generous amount on his hand, not really caring as he spread it in his hair, doing the same as he did for the shampoo. His hips swayed from side to side and his big toes alternated going up and down to the beat of the song he still wasn’t sure of what it was.  
  
Didn’t matter.  
  
He rinsed off the conditioner, then scrubbed his body. Makoto was always careful, but today he was extra careful to scrub every little inch of his body. He was seeing Nagisa today. A week had passed since Nitori had lost it, beating the hell out of the man that was once his abuser. Makoto was worried, but he couldn’t help but appreciate the way Iwatobi handled the situation. Nobody asked questions, nobody said anything, besides asking him if he was okay.  
  
He had to remind himself that they killed people for money because it seemed so alien of a concept when faced with each of them one-on-one. Since that week, he actually managed to see Nagisa fairly often, about four times which was more than he expected considering their schedules. Makoto’s classes were moving into mid-term season, full of assignments and exams and all the horrible stuff, while Nagisa’s group was getting several missions.  
  
Still, they squeezed the time they had to meet with each other.  
  
Sometimes it was only for a couple hours, but today—today would be the _whole_ day. The absolute whole day, and it made Makoto excited in more ways than one.  
  
He turned the handle, stopping the running water, and he pushed the curtain to the side. He was instantly greeted with the well-known but still horrible frosty chill when someone came out of a hot shower and he shivered. He stepped out, instantly grabbing a towel and drying himself off. He wanted to see Nagisa. That was the only thought going through his mind.  
  
He would be heading back to the headquarters again, which he was actually happy about.  
  
Rei started being nicer to him, but there was still the death-glaring that never ceased. Probably because of their previous conversation.  
  
  
 _“When change happens, so do events. And if those events, whether they are for better or for worse, when those events occur, it’s going to be your fault.”_  
  
  
Makoto paused halfway through drying himself and stared at nothing in particular.  
  
  
 _“It is fate, something bound to happen. If you cut a carrot, it will become smaller. If you change a person, that change will have consequence. I want you to know, Makoto, that I hold you completely responsible for what you do to him. If something bad happens to Nagisa, because you changed him, I will hunt you down and make you beg for forgiveness.”_  
  
  
Makoto felt a strange shiver run down his spine and he shook his head, trying to ignore it. He finished drying himself off. But something was bothering him: The more he spoke to Rei, the more he got to know the man, he realised Rei really wasn’t the type to say melodramatic things for the hell of it. He couldn’t help but wonder if those words were true, or maybe they were just psyching him out for no reason.  
  
“Whatever,” he mumbled, throwing the towel to the side. Nude, he opened the door and exited the steamy bathroom, feeling another chill. He hurried over to his closet, wondering what he should wear. He never really cared much for clothes, but Nagisa was _always_ wearing something cute, and he felt like he should be a bit more selective, for Nagisa.  
  
The conversation with Rei slipped out of his mind as he chose his underwear. Dark green tight boxer briefs, black jeans that hugged his ass, and a bright green shirt were his choice. He wondered if he should wear a jacket, and then remembered the weather was still hot. It was always hot where they were. He grabbed his phone, making sure it was charged, then his wallet and keys. Stuffing it into his pockets, he hummed to himself and left his room.  
  
Going down the stairs and heading over to the right, he sniffed the air and heard the sound of something cooking. He instantly smiled as he stepped into the kitchen, “Good morning!”  
  
Yamato looked over his shoulder and blinked. “You look happy to be alive.”  
  
Makoto scratched the back of his head, “Yeah… seeing Nagisa today.”  
  
“Ah, no wonder,” Yamato chuckled as he cracked another egg, putting it in the pan. “I was about to ask you if you knew it was Sunday. Most boys your age wouldn’t wake up before two in the afternoon, and here you are nine in the morning. Scrambled egg is okay?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Makoto chuckled and took a seat on one of the stools.  
  
“Then again,” Yamato paused and pointed his spatula at the brunet, “The girls are just as bad. Everyone is bad at your age. I was bad, but your mother was the worst!”  
  
“Really?” Makoto grinned, “She’s the most punctual.”  
  
“Now she is,” he nodded slowly, “But when she was your age she was a train wreck when it came to being on time.” He turned back to the eggs, breaking the yolks, “Good thing people can change.” They both chuckled and soon Yamato served his nephew scrambled eggs on a plate.  
  
“Thank you,” Makoto dipped his head in respect.  
  
“Makoto…”  
  
He looked up, paling a little at _that_ tone of voice.  
  
“Your boyfriend, Nagisa,” Yamato put two eggs on his own plate and then put the pan in the sink, “He calls you… Mako-chan, doesn’t he?” When he received a nod, Yamato pursed his lip. “You know who else called you Mako-chan? I mean, besides our family, but recently… Your kidnapper did.”  
  
Makoto paused.  
  
“Makoto… I was, watching the video they sent, again,” Yamato pursed his lips, looking at his nephew with a firm gaze. “You’re not… you know, dating the person that kidnapped you… are you?”  
  
Makoto just blinked twice, “No… I’m not.”  
  
“Makoto, if you are…”  
  
“I’m not,” he said with a smile. “First of all, she was a woman, an older lady. I told you, didn’t I? Plus, I mean… Nagisa tripped over his yukata like eight times, you really think he could kidnap me? He’s so tiny! And I mean, I love him, but even I have to admit… he’s not the brightest light bulb in the drawer.”  
  
Yamato nodded slowly, “If you say so… I suppose, I’m just worried, that’s all.”  
  
“Why would I date my kidnapper?”  
  
“Well,” Yamato scratched the back of his neck, “A lot of it just seems to match up. I mean, I didn’t even know you were dating until after you came back and then suddenly, Nagisa, Nagisa, Nagisa…”  
  
“Well,” Makoto paused, eyes looking to the side, “I guess I was just worried. You know, since he’s a guy, I didn’t know how you or mom or dad or the twins would react… and then I kinda didn’t want to hide it anymore.”  
  
“But, the whole ‘-chan’ part—”  
  
Makoto laughed, cutting off his uncle by accident. “Sorry, it’s just a joke of his. We both have girly names and it’s just an inside joke between us.”  
  
“Oh, I see,” Yamato nodded, “I’m sorry, but I had to ask.”  
  
Makoto smiled, “It’s okay.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Ten minutes later, Makoto left the house and began walking down the street. He didn’t look back directly but noticed someone behind him in his peripherals every time he made a turn. Knowing he could not exactly just look at the person, he pulled out his phone and flipped it open. He used the reflective surface to see if the man was still behind him.  
  
He was.  
  
Makoto continued walking down the street; he wasn’t going towards their meeting spot. No, he was now heading towards the big, central mall in their small little town. His lips were thin and he took a deep breath. He slipped a shaking hand into his pocket and grabbed his phone, then pulled it out. He flipped it open and instantly began texting away.  
  
 _« Nagisa I’m being followed._  
  
Within seconds there was a reply.  
  
 _» whats going on?_  
  
He sighed out of relief and replied.  
  
 _« I think it’s by my uncle’s people. I’m heading towards the mall now, since that’s where I told Yamato I was going._  
  
 _» ooooo my Mako-chans so smart I wuv him *kisskisskiss*_  
  
Makoto blinked in disbelief at his text and his cheeks warmed. He chuckled and couldn’t help but smile. Before he could reply, there was another text from Nagisa.  
  
 _» ill meet you at the mall alone k? by the fountain is probably the best place_  
  
 _« Okay, I can’t wait._  
  
 _» im proud of you by the way for developing street smarts… makes me feel like a bad influence! >:3_  
  
Without thinking, Makoto replied:  
  
 _« More of a naughty influence then a bad influence._  
  
 _» HAHAHA oh my I think my Mako-chans the naughty one! You big pervert ♥_  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
The phone banter continued the entire way to the mall and Makoto eventually saw the blond sitting on the rim of the fountain. “Hey, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”  
  
Nagisa looked over and grinned. He kicked off the fountain and hugged his boyfriend tight. “Nope! Don’t worry!”  
  
Makoto hugged tight, leaning down to kiss the side of Nagisa’s head and he squeezed the blond tight, taking in the sweet scent. “Good,” he said with a grin. “So what’s the plan?”  
  
Nagisa smooched Makoto’s face a good eight times before he pulled away just enough so he could look up into Makoto’s green eyes and he grinned. “We can spend some time here together, until your stalker follower guy thing goes away. I have our driver waiting for us at the parking lot, so don’t worry.”  
  
Makoto blinked, “But, is it fair to the driver to just get him to wait?”  
  
“Don’t worry, Mamma-Mako-chan,” Nagisa teased, “It’s Rin and Nitori, so they’ll be blowing each other until their dicks hurt too much while we wait for the coast to be clear. After that, we head over and everything’s good.”  
  
Makoto chuckled then tilted his head, “And how are we going to get the coast clear?”  
  
Nagisa did a little dance before hopping up to smooch Makoto’s cheek, “You just leave that to your perfect, perfect boyfriend, okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Makoto laughed, leaning down to kiss his cheek in return. “But that means I should probably buy you a milkshake for all your hard work.”  
  
“Yes!” Nagisa shouted at the top of his lungs. He looked around, realising people were staring, then chuckled. “I know I asked this already, but are you _sure_ you’ve never had a boyfriend before? You’re just too good at this dating thing!”  
  
Makoto laughed and leaned down, pressing their lips together.  
  
Nagisa closed his eyes and let himself melt into the kiss.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
The two of them bought Nagisa’s milkshake, two of them, then went around to different stores, checking things out. Nagisa tried on silly outfits and Makoto did his best to force a smile, then the coast was clear. As Nagisa expected, Nitori was actually giving Rin a blowjob when they got to the car.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters…  
  
Rei was in the basement working on something. He stared at his laptop, an upset expression on his face as he typed away quickly. He stopped, however, when he heard footsteps and looked over his shoulder.  
  
“I got you coffee,” Haruka muttered as he carefully put the steaming mug to the side. “Bit of milk and sugar, right?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei blinked, “Thank you.”  
  
Haruka didn’t bother saying “you’re welcome”; instead, he just leaned down and pressed their lips together for a quick kiss. He noted the way Rei’s cheeks turned a little pink and smiled softly. It was cute, to say the least. He knew Rei was no virgin, far from, but the small gentle things always managed to make the older male blush.  
  
Rei pretended he wasn’t blushing and sipped his coffee, nodding as it was perfect.  
  
“Hard at work?”  
  
“Yes,” he sighed, “I managed to find something about Yamato Tachibana that… well, it will be shocking _if_ it is true. I am currently gathering evidence.”  
  
Haruka blinked and looked over to the screen. He leaned forward a bit, “Can I read?”  
  
“Sure,” Rei scrolled to the top of the file then looked over to the teen. “I should warn you, it’s… well, more than just a little concerning.”  
  
Haruka’s eyes slightly widened and his expression went blank. “This is… a big accusation.”  
  
“Hence why I’ve been gathering evidence,” Rei frowned. “If this is true, I want to be able to back this up. It just isn’t easy.”  
  
Haruka nodded, “Fair enough… Is there,” he paused, looking over to Rei, “Is there anything I can do?”  
  
“Some help would be appreciated,” he admitted with a smile, “Thank you.”  
  
Haruka smiled in return and nodded.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Unaware of the dark news, there were five people in the senior lounge. Nagisa was firmly planted in Makoto’s lap, and across from them Rin had locked Nitori in his own lap. Kou was chuckling to herself as the silly argument seemed to continue.  
  
“But,” Nagisa said with a completely serious face, “I’m better at giving lap dances!”  
  
Nitori chuckled, blushing a bit as he shook his head. “I think I would be better… I got paid for them, you know.”  
  
“Yeah,” Rin frowned, “Ai’s quality, unlike someone here.”  
  
Nagisa gasped, “Are you saying I’m not quality! Mako-chan!”  
  
Makoto tried not to face palm. “You are very much quality, Nagisa. But Nitori has a point, maybe he’s better at lap dancing…”  
  
“No, no he’s not,” Nagisa pouted, “You’ve never had a boyfriend before, Mako-chan—you don’t know these things! When your boyfriend gives you a lap dance, it is the best lap dance ever!”  
  
“Then we’re at a standstill,” Rin pointed out, “Because Nitori’s going to be the best lap dancer for me and you’re the best one for Makoto.”  
  
Nagisa put a hand to his lip, realising it was true.  
  
Nitori nervously cleared his throat, “But I could give Kou a better lap dance.”  
  
“What?” Rin tilted his head.  
  
Gou blinked, “Huh?”  
  
“Not true!” Nagisa shouted, “I would give Kou a better lap dance!”  
  
“Well, lap dancing is different for guys and girls,” Nitori blushed and had to look away.  
  
“Wait,” Nagisa tilted his head, “It is?”  
  
“U-um, for a guy… well, when they’re dick gets hard you just kinda focus on that, just grinding, and generally if they’re paying for a lap dance it’s just dirty grinding,” Nitori scratched his cheek, trying not to blush, but it was far too late. “But for a girl, for them, you generally have to do a bit more… dancing. You gotta do different moves.”  
  
“Really?” Rin snickered as he leaned back in his chair. “I totally landed the right boy.”  
  
Nitori laughed nervously.  
  
Kou frowned, “That’s so not fair! Guys have it easy…”  
  
“Well, I knew a girl who said she could stimulate a girl’s clit during a dance, but I never managed to do that. So I have to give them a show, since I’m not that experienced on ladies… To be honest, it’s sort of the same thing you do for a boy before he gets hard.”  
  
“Ohhhh,” Nagisa nodded sagely, “This is educational! Go on!”  
  
“Well, I don’t really know how to explain it,” Nitori admitted.  
  
“Then,” Rin smirked, “Demonstrate it.”  
  
“Oh, okay,” Nitori looked at Kou and got up.  
  
“On me!” Rin frowned and pulled his boyfriend back, kissing his cheek.  
  
“Oh!”  
  
Kou just burst into laughter.  
  
Makoto slapped his hand over his face; unable to take it anymore, he also started laughing.  
  
“Well,” Nitori suddenly moved his hips in a circular fashion, “Got to get blood rushing to the legs first, and keep it changed up.” He moved his hips to the side, moving his shoulders in the opposite direction. Then, he switched.  
  
Rin just grinned, quite happy with the direction the situation was now going.  
  
Nagisa was staring intently.  
  
Makoto was sure that if his boyfriend had a notepad and a pen, he would be taking notes like there wouldn’t be a tomorrow.  
  
Nitori began playing a club-esque song in his mind, getting a beat going. He moved his body in tune, developing a rhythm. “Then,” Nitori explained, “You should do something like,” he moved his hands back, grabbing Rin’s wrists.  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, but played along.  
  
Nitori placed them by his sides, over his ribs, running them down his body until they were near his waist. He let go of Rin’s hands, leaving them on his hips. He leaned forward a bit, placing his hands on Rin’s knees to keep himself steady. “And then,” he chuckled, “He’s hard…”  
  
“Too much info,” Kou rolled her eyes.  
  
“Educational!” Nagisa shouted again.  
  
Makoto opened his mouth to say something, but–  
  
“—Nagisa!”  
  
Nitori paused, blinking.  
  
Nagisa looked over. “What is it?”  
  
Rei and Haruka were standing at the door way, both of them donning a serious expression. Rei stepped in and handed a stapled stack of paper to the blond.  
  
Nagisa stood up and took it. He frowned, not exactly liking the fact that Rei and Haru ruined his important course on lap dancing, but as soon as he read the first few lines of the paper, his expression went neutral. He read line after line of the first paragraph, then the next, and the next, and then looked at Rei. “You… can confirm this?”  
  
Rin frowned, looking at the two other seniors. He was in the mood for a lap dance instead of serious stuff, but it was obvious something was going down. “What’s going on?”  
  
Haruka looked at Rin, but said nothing.  
  
Rei nodded. “The other pages are intercepted emails from Yamato Tachibana to his clients, under an alias, but I can confirm it is him.”  
  
Makoto blinked, “My uncle?”  
  
Nagisa flipped through the pages, scanning each piece of paper for a couple seconds before he took a seat next to his boyfriend. Dark pink eyes looked up to him and he took in a deep breath. “Mako-chan, I think… we are gonna need to have a little talk with your uncle, if you don’t mind…”  
  
Makoto blinked, “What?”  
  
“Oy,” Rin scowled, “Speak up. What the hell’s going on?”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses and looked over to the redhead, but before he could speak, someone spoke first.  
  
“Well,” Nagisa looked around, “Let’s just say we’re going to be bringing our guns when we have that nice little chat with Yamato Tachibana.”


	18. Case of Haruka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since I've done a chapter dedication; oh well, this one is dedicated to SekseeDragoness, whose crazy inspired this chapter. I don't even know what to say to her. LOL.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry I've been so late with updating. NaNoWriMo is over (I completed it!), which means my efforts will now be moving back to Free! fanfiction! Please enjoy the chapter! Also, I have the next update all written out, I just need to edit it, so expect another update soon, okay? <3
> 
> Once again, thank you everyone for the support and wonderful comments. You guys have made writing this an awesome experience and I love you guys, you know that? Anyway, enough of me blabbing, please enjoy!

He was sitting in the bath. He had lowered himself so the water level was just below his nose, allowing him to breathe but be as immersed in the water as possible. Although he entered the water almost thirty minutes ago, the bath was still nice and warm. There was the occasional sound of birds chirping, and the rays of sunlight pouring from the window at the very top of the bathroom, but besides that… Haruka’s every sense was, as always, immersed in water.  
  
It was where he was most comfortable.  
  
Or so he figured.  
  
He closed his blue eyes and took a breath before sinking beneath the surface. He opened his eyes, watching little tiny air bubble swim upwards, as if they had somewhere to go.  
  
Haruka was only thirteen. That was a ‘tender’ age, or something along those lines. That’s what his teacher and parents had told him. He was supposed to be interested in girls. He was supposed to like action movies. He was supposed to like sports, and competition. He was supposed to this, supposed to that…  
  
He closed his eyes. He kept his breath held by remaining calm. How could he not be calm? Water was… everything to him. He was part of the local swim club, but only because his parents forced him to go out and do something. He wanted to swim, but not in the most common use of the word. He didn’t want times. He didn’t want competition. He didn’t want to compare himself to other people.  
  
He just wanted to be in the water.  
  
He surfaced gently and took in a breath of air from his mouth.  
  
A knock on the door.  
  
“Haruka?”  
  
He looked over to the door and sighed, “Yeah, dad?”  
  
“Don’t be late for school!”  
  
He closed his eyes and shuddered. He brought up his knees, hugging them. He didn’t want to get out of the water. But, eventually, he knew his dad would start knocking on the door harder, then yell at his mom, then his mom would yell at his dad and that was just too troublesome. He grabbed the rim of the bathtub and lifted himself up. He reached down and pulled the plug, letting the water drain. He stepped out of the tub and dried himself off with a towel.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
At fourteen, his father moved out.  
  
The bickering stopped and everyone was happy. His mom was happy, his dad was happy, and he was happy he didn’t have to hear it. Another good thing about his dad leaving was that his mom didn’t really care if he didn’t go to school. At first, he stopped going to class but went whenever he had a test or had to hand in assignment. The school didn’t seem to care since his average was in the high nineties.  
  
He didn’t really need to study, though he looked at the books occasionally before an exam.  
  
It didn’t matter to him, since he didn’t exactly like anyone at school. Everyone from the students, the teachers, the janitors knew him as the ‘weird kid’. It was a small community too, so there were rumours about him, that he was more than just a little odd. But as soon as he stopped going to school, people began forgetting who he was. A thought crossed his mind: If he cared enough, this could be a new beginning for him to make friends.  
  
But he _didn’t_ care enough.  
  
At fifteen, he stopped going completely.  
  
He ended up getting bored. The baths were nice, but a person could only be in one so long before the water got cold and even chilly. He found he had too many hours to kill in a day for just baths, though he did try. His mom killed time by watching T.V., which meant he didn’t have much access to it unless he wanted to watch shitty dramas. He ended up spending a lot of time on his computer.  
  
He was less than a week away from sixteen when he took a walk downtown and a flyer caught his eye.  
  
‘All Male! Water Themed! Strip Club!’  
  
He blinked at it and decided he _had_ to sneak in.  
  
Guys were hot. Water was hotter.  
  
Wet shirtless guys was the hottest.  
  
He made note of the address and the opening time.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
The bouncer of the club shoved him back and he barely caught his footing. He wasn’t allowed in, since he was only sixteen, but Haruka knew he had to get in. This was his reason for living. He dashed forward, slipping past the bouncer. People started screaming, but he couldn’t stop now. He ripped off his shirt, then the rest of his clothes scattered like leaves in the wind.  
  
He dived into the pool.  
  
A perfect dive.  
  
The other customers thought it was part of a show and started cheering.  
  
Haruka didn’t even care. He swam around and people shouted ‘Looks like a dolphin!’ before he noticed there were poles in the pool. He curiously grabbed one and looked up. The other dancers were in their swimsuits, showing off their moves. He looked around, realising everyone was looking at him, and decided why the fuck not.  
  
He was completely naked, but he pulled himself up the pole. He moved his head back. Some of his hair shifted, but most of it was defiant and wet and clung to his face. Water droplets fell off his body and everyone in the whole room had their eyes on him.  
  
He didn’t really know what he was doing, but he faked it.  
  
He looked at the other dancers, seeing what they were doing, mimicked them. Occasionally, he dipped back in the water, swam around a bit, before going back up his pole. Apparently people liked seeing the little drops of water fall off his naked body. The men were practically salivating over him and he found it a little disturbing. It was fun, though. He couldn’t care who was looking at him, it was fun.  
  
Fun.  
  
Finally, fun.  
  
When the show was over, he stepped out of the pool and ended up following the other dancers. They were looking at him curiously, but he pretended he was supposed to be there so they went to the change rooms together.  
  
The boss of the place came down to have a little talk.  
  
They hired him.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
He had worked there for over a year. He was seventeen now, proficient in pole dancing. Most dancers only did the degrading job until they could get out of that part of their life, but Haruka had no reason to leave. His mom didn’t ask questions, he was getting decent pay, and he was able to swim in the water for quite a while. When the customers left and the crew was cleaning up, he was allowed to swim as much as he wanted until they closed for the day, which was usually an hour or two.  
  
Working at the place for so long though had let him recognise faces of ‘usual customers’. He was supposed to be extra nice to them.  
  
“Haruka.”  
  
Haruka ran a hand through his wet hair as he stepped into the change room. “Yeah?”  
  
His boss grinned, “I don’t know if you know ‘em, but there’s a group of usuals who got a lot of money. They’re renting one of the private pools upstairs, they say they want you. Specifically you. Consider the rest of your day booked.”  
  
“Which pool?” Haruka asked automatically.  
  
“Third one, don’t fuck it up.”  
  
“I won’t,” he answered honestly. Instead of drying off, he moved his head from side to side to side, swishing his hair in a signature move, before heading over to the stairs.  
  
The upstairs of the strip club had pools of all sizes for little mini parties. Generally, people could only rent for an hour or two, since the price went up exponentially as time passed, but inviting the swimmer strippers was free of charge. Considering what could happen, it didn’t take much time for guys to make use of the private rooms with the strippers, so it all worked out.  
  
Haruka wondered who these people were, though. His boss said the rest of his day was booked, which was three hours, maybe a little more. Whoever they were, they were big shots, or something to that effect. He walked to the the private room labelled ‘3’ and opened the door slowly.  
  
The third room had a fairly small pool compared to the others. The limit was four people, and considering there were already three people inside, Haruka assumed he was the fourth. When he looked inside though, he noticed he recognised them.  
  
There were two usuals.  
  
One was short, had blond hair, and distinguishing pink eyes, cute looks. The other had red hair and red eyes, but there was something sexy about him that made Haruka remember who he was. The third person had blue hair and had red glasses. He had seen the third person before, but each time he looked like he was dragged by force to the club.  
  
The pool was in the shape of a circle. The blond was sitting in the middle, facing the door and facing Haruka, with the redhead and blue haired men on either side.  
  
“You called for me specifically?”  
  
“Yeah,” the redhead grinned, “Join the party.”  
  
Haruka nodded. He closed the door behind him and stepped towards the pool.  
  
“No!” the shorter blond said with a mock frown, “You have to get naked like the rest of us.”  
  
Haruka didn’t think twice before stepping out of his swimsuit and tossing it to the side. He dipped into the pool and took a seat on the underwater bench.  
  
The redhead chuckled, “That was easier than I thought it would be.”  
  
“I prefer being naked,” he admitted.  
  
“So, cutie, got a name?”  
  
“Haruka.”  
  
“I’m Rin,” the redhead said.  
  
“Nagisa!” the blond shouted with an exasperated voice.  
  
“Rei…” the last one said, blinking at Nagisa. “Why do you look so surprised?”  
  
“He has a girly name but has a flippy-floppy, just like us!”  
  
“Flippy-floppy?” Rei blinked, frowning when he didn’t understand the word.  
  
“Penis,” Rin rolled his eyes as he had to explain it.  
  
Rei flushed and mumbled something, looking away.  
  
Haruka chuckled softly, looking at Rei with some interest. He then looked over to Nagisa, then to Rin (who he assumed was the head honcho here). He wasn’t used to making small talk, but he was curious. “So… what do you guys do?”  
  
“Kill people,” Nagisa smiled.  
  
Haruka blinked, expecting someone to laugh. Nobody did, so he just said, “Cool.”  
  
“You’re pretty chill,” Rin grinned.  
  
Haruka nodded, blue eyes moving to Rin’s lips, noting the feral nature of the smile. It didn’t bother him, nothing ever did. He moved an arm up and scratched the back of his hair, looking at them all individually for a moment.  
  
Nagisa looked over to Rin with a knowing smile and they just chuckled.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Oy, Haruka.”  
  
Haruka was drying off in the change room when he heard his boss’ voice. He looked over his shoulder but stayed silent.  
  
“Those three were quite pleased with you,” the larger man said with a smile, “I’m curious what you did for them.”  
  
“A foursome,” Haruka said simply.  
  
“Oh,” his boss chuckled.  
  
“Started out with foreplay, then we got out of the water and I got on my back. Rin, the guy with red hair, started fingering me, and he was going to prepare me but I told him I’d take him dry because… I don’t really know, I just wanted to. So he started fucking me.”  
  
“Ah,” his boss frowned, “Okay…”  
  
“Then Nagisa, the blond, got Rei out of the water and they started making out and getting frisky, and then Nagisa got on his knees, and Rei started fucking him, dry, and then Nagisa and I started doing a sixty-nine and it was good.”  
  
“Great…”  
  
Haruka nodded, then continued to dry himself off with a towel.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Several times, Nagisa, Rin, and Rei came to rent a private pool area. Most of the time it was usually just Rin and Nagisa, which Haruka found himself slightly disappointed by, but he couldn’t deny that having both Rin and Nagisa was satisfying in more ways than one. They didn’t have sex every time they dropped by, sometimes they would just hang around and chit chat. Their jobs were stressful and sometimes they just wanted to lounge around and talk about moronic stuff.  
  
Haruka learned that Nagisa, Rin, and Rei did actually kill people for a living (not that he thought Nagisa was lying, but he wasn’t quite sure). Contrary to what he first thought, Nagisa was the leader of them and Rin was the second in command. The topics were always random, but Haruka noted that, today, most of them seemed to be about him.  
  
“So, what do you think of your boss?” Nagisa tilted his head.  
  
“He’s okay,” Haruka shrugged, “Kind of an ass, but since I’m his ‘favourite’ he doesn’t bug me too much.”  
  
“Favourite, huh?” Rin smirked, “Well I guess I know why.”  
  
Haruka’s lips curved into a soft smile and he chuckled softly. “No, he’s straight.”  
  
“Straight guy owning a gay club?” Rei raised his eyebrow, “Well, this place is thriving, so he must be doing something right.”  
  
“The dancers feel better about it,” Haruka explained, “Since he’s straight, and part of our work involves sex, we won’t be obligated into doing anything with our superiors. On the other side, we can’t flirt with him to keep our jobs if we keep messing up.”  
  
Nagisa tapped his chin, “Maybe I should make all the members of Iwatobi straight.”  
  
Rin whapped the back of Nagisa’s head.  
  
“Owie!”  
  
“You wouldn’t last a day,” Rin rolled his eyes.  
  
“Yes I would!” Nagisa pouted, “I got Haru-chan!”  
  
“In any case,” Rei changed the subject, “We were wondering if you were willing to… provide us information, about your boss.”  
  
Haruka paused, blue eyes shifting to Nagisa. “Is that what this is about?”  
  
“Sorta,” Nagisa admitted, “Your boss does business with us, you know. There was a reason his competition just up’d and disappeared. Lately though, he’s kinda letting it get to his head. So, just in sort of preparation of him being a big twat in my face, we just wanna gather some info about him, bodyguards, security guards, stuff like that.”  
  
“Don’t worry,” Rin leaned over and kissed Haruka’s cheek, “We come here ‘cause we like you, that’s all.”  
  
Haruka smiled softly at the kiss, feeling his cheeks redden slightly. “I see… To be honest, I don’t care about my boss. I’m willing to provide anything, really.”  
  
Nagisa tilted his head to the side, “You know, most people ask for money or stuff first.”  
  
“I’m fine,” Haruka shrugged.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow slowly and looked at his boss. “What… what _is_ this?”  
  
“It’s a tail,” his boss explained.  
  
Haruka glanced at it and blinked. While usually silent, this was one of the few times Haruka was just speechless. He looked at his boss for some kind of explanation, but got nothing. He cleared his throat, prompting himself to speak. “You want me to wear it?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Haruka stepped forward and examined it. It was not an ordinary tail: It was a mermaid’s tail. He noticed a place he was supposed to put his legs and he looked at his boss. “Okay.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
It was the new attraction.  
  
“Not ‘Mermaid’ or ‘Merman’, but ‘Mer-Twink’!” was the slogan.  
  
Haruka had little trouble getting used to the mermaid outfit, actually. He found himself able to move in the water easily. Dancing on the poles were a little harder, but as everyone was saying he was a natural. He moved up one pole and moved his hair back, swishing it left and right. With the soft light on him, he opened his blue eyes and noted a trio in the back of the club. Red hair, blond, blue. He smiled to himself and made a mental promise to make sure it was his best show yet.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Haru! Haru!” His boss grinned wide, “You think you can do another show? The crowd out there was in love with you! They all want you back!”  
  
Haruka, who never complained, groaned as he sat on the bench in the changeroom. With a mermaid tail, he needed other people to move him in and out of the water and it was slightly annoying, especially since their grip on him kept slipping due to the wetness. “Another show?”  
  
“Yeah!”  
  
“I don’t think so,” he muttered, looking down. “It strains the muscles of my legs. I’m not even sure I can walk now.”  
  
“Damn,” his boss sighed, crossing his arms. “What else could you do?”  
  
Haruka thought about it, then remembered Rin and Nagisa and Rei were at the club today. “Kissing booth,” the words spilled out before he could stop himself. “Two hundred to kiss the mermaid?”  
  
“A kissing booth?” His boss blinked, but then smiled. “Let’s do it!”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
He was sitting on a stool, watching his next customer walk over.  
  
The price had been bumped up to five hundred yen, just over five dollars, but Haruka was told to make the kiss worth it. He was gentle with his lips, usually placing a wet finger on the man’s cheek and moaning gently into the kiss. He’d been fucked by countless patrons, so this subtle level of fake romance was somewhat different, in a good way.  
  
His next customer was a certain trickster blond with a huge smile.  
  
“Nagisa,” Haruka smiled softly.  
  
“Hehe,” Nagisa closed the distance and had his hands behind his back. He looked down at the mermaid tail and blinked, “Wow it looks real even close up, huh?”  
  
“Yeah,” Haruka chuckled. “Apparently it was pricy, but boss says we’ll make profit in a couple days if this keeps up.”  
  
“Well, then I just have to donate money to this kissing booth, huh?” Nagisa closed his eyes and leaned over.  
  
Haruka pushed their lips together and closed his eyes. He felt Nagisa’s lips move over his, and he pushed his tongue forward. He felt Nagisa’s against his own and felt the blond chuckle into the kiss.  
  
Slowly, Nagisa pulled away, keeping his eyes closed, and chuckled. “We’ll see you later tonight, okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Haruka opened his blue eyes and watched Nagisa skip away happily.  
  
“Looks like it’s worth it, huh?” Rin stepped forward.  
  
“Maybe,” Haruka turned his head and tilted his neck, exposing it in an attempt to tease the redhead. He knew Rin loved kissing and biting his neck, and he just couldn’t help himself.  
  
“Maybe huh?” Rin snickered and bit his lip as he closed the distance. “Kinda sad we’re in front of other people… I’d tear that tail off of you and fuck you right here, otherwise.”  
  
Haruka’s lips curved into a sensual smile and he batted his eyelashes.  
  
Rin leaned down and brought their lips together.  
  
Haruka felt his spine straighten instantly as he tasted the aggression in the kiss. His lower lip was caught between two sets of sharp teeth and he gave a low growl into the kiss in return.  
  
Rin pulled away, ending the kiss far too early. “Didn’t want to bruise those pretty lips of yours… not yet, anyway.” He gave a little wave before walking off.  
  
Haruka watched him go, then turned his head to the next customer.  
  
As expected, it was, of course, Rei. He seemed a little flustered about the whole ordeal and he walked over. “Hello.”  
  
Haruka couldn’t help but smile, “Hello. Did they make you?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei crossed his arms, quite unhappy. “It’s not beautiful.”  
  
Haruka blinked, “I’m not beautiful?”  
  
“N-no!” Rei shouted, “I-I mean, yes you are! No you are not not beautiful! You are beautiful!”  
  
Haruka chuckled, dipping his head slightly, “I was teasing. What’s not beautiful? Kissing booths?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei uncrossed his arms and scratched the back of his head, “Kisses are special… They can be romantic and loving, or affectionate, or sexual and loveless. The act of selling them… bothers me.”  
  
Haruka smiled, knowing that it was such a ‘Rei’ thing to say. “If it helps, I’d kiss you either way.”  
  
Rei blinked and felt his cheeks redden. “Ah, I see… then, I should… probably not complain.” He cleared his throat and straightened his back before slowly leaning down.  
  
Haruka closed his eyes and felt two tentative lips touch his own. The kiss was slow to start, but soon enough he could feel Rei kissing him. His own cheeks warmed. It was so different from Rin, who had attacked him with teeth, or Nagisa who danced with his tongue. Rei was so… primitive, shy with his lips that Haruka swore he felt his heart flutter.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“No mermaid tail?” Nagisa pouted as Haruka stepped into the private pool.  
  
“No,” Haruka offered a small smile, “Kind of hurt my legs,” he admitted as he rubbed his feet in the water.  
  
“Well,” Rin gave a mock frown, “I guess we could be okay with it if you gave us a little something else…”  
  
Nagisa snickered, “He means sex, Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei instantly flushed, “I got that! You didn’t have to explain!”  
  
Haruka chuckled and softly kicked Nagisa, “Don’t be too mean.”  
  
Nagisa stuck his tongue out and giggled. “Ah, man, today’s been nice and relaxing. I needed this!”  
  
“Yeah,” Rin nodded, moving his head back, “Tell me about.”  
  
“I agree,” Rei muttered as he rubbed his shoulder.  
  
Haruka looked at the three of them. “I haven’t seen you guys in a couple weeks. Been busy?”  
  
“Yep,” Nagisa frowned, “Had to deal with a drug cartel, rowdy bunch didn’t know their place. Oh!” He suddenly sat up and grinned, “But I managed to shoot two people with one bullet—Like, it went through the first guy’s head and into the second guy’s head! I thought that was just in movies and video games, but I did it!”  
  
Haruka blinked, before glancing over to Rei, then back to Nagisa. “Good job.”  
  
“Hehehe,” Nagisa sat back on the bench and looked at Rei, “Hey turn on some bubbles or something.”  
  
Rei nodded and followed it like orders.  
  
“Haru,” Rin glanced over to him and frowned, “Give us your schedule, will you?”  
  
“Sure,” he suddenly frowned, “Why?”  
  
“No reason,” Rin shrugged.  
  
Haruka looked at Nagisa, who avoided eye contact, then looked to Rei. “If it’s a secret, I’ll keep it.”  
  
“I suppose we could tell him,” Rei sighed. “Well, your boss is being a little rowdy as well, and we may have to raid the place to remind him his place. We want to make sure you’re not here… We don’t want you to be caught in the gunfire.”  
  
Haruka only blinked once then nodded. “Cool.”  
  
“Way too fucking chill,” Rin shook his head.  
  
“But that’s why we like him,” Nagisa grinned.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Three weeks had passed and Haruka figured whatever was going on between Iwatobi and his dance club was over and done with. Nagisa and Rin kept coming back, and Rei did too. Every once in a while, he’d see Kou – Rin’s sister – or someone else, but it was usually the three of them. It was one day when Kiro, one of the dancers who had his own show, got sick that Haruka was asked to cover for him. He thought nothing of it, and was getting ready in the change room when gunfire set the club into screams.  
  
Haruka knew he should have ran right away, but something told him not to. It was Iwatobi, had to be. He had no proof of such an accusation, but something told him. He walked up to the second floor, and before he knew it he had two guns aimed at him. He instantly raised his hands defensively.  
  
“Huh?” one of the bodyguards frowned, “Who are you?”  
  
The second bodyguard lowered his gun, “He’s one of the dancers. The one that puts on that mermaid tail.”  
  
Haruka just nodded.  
  
“Oh, right, I knew you were familiar,” the first one nodded, “Dude, get the fuck out of here. You’re gonna get shot.”  
  
“Oh,” Haruka looked at the second guy then down to his gun. “Your safety is on.”  
  
“What?” The man instantly looked at his pistol, “Seriously? No it’s not.”  
  
“Yeah,” Haruka gently brought his hands up, “You have to flick this.” He slowly took the gun from the man. Without warning, he aimed it at the man’s face and fired, before the second bodyguard could react he fired on him two.  
  
The two of them dropped dead, faces becoming pools of blood.  
  
Haruka looked at the gun. “Wow, shooting really does give an adrenaline rush.”  
  
Haruka continued up the stairs and ended up on the balcony. The firefight was going on in the main room and he had the high ground. He instantly noticed blond hair; Nagisa was shooting over an overturned chair. Paces away, he saw Rin wasn’t too far behind, using a wall as cover. His eyes eventually saw Rei, who had his back against a pillar, clutching his chest.  
  
He was wounded.  
  
Haruka didn’t think. He acted. Pulling the trigger once, twice, three times, he aimed at all the security guards. Three people dropped dead and he kept firing, taking one down after another. When he pulled the trigger and a click signalled a lack of bullets he threw the gun aside and turned around, finding the body of the two security guards he killed earlier. Stealing from the dead, he found another handgun and moved back to the balcony.  
  
He fired, not wasting a single bullet, as one security guard died after another.  
  
When the main room was clear, the three members of Iwatobi moved up the stairs. Haruka knew that eventually they would meet up with him so he waited until they emerged from the stairway. He was a little phased by actually having a gun pointed at him, but his attention was diverted. “Will you be okay?”  
  
Rei blinked, “Haruka? I uh, yes, yes I will be fine. I’ve had worse, don’t worry.”  
  
Haruka nodded.  
  
Rin just tilted his head in confusion, “Um… yo, what are you doing here?”  
  
“I had to sub’ for a sick dancer.”  
  
“You had to sub?” Rin frowned, “Why did you have to do that?”  
  
“He means substitute,” Rei cleared his throat, “Not Dom and sub.”  
  
“Oh!” Rin suddenly realised how stupid he sounded and then changed the subject, “But anyway, what I meant to say was what are you doing up here? Wait—Wait a fucking sec, you’re not the one who was giving us support fire, were you?”  
  
Haruka just gave a nod.  
  
Nagisa blinked, pausing for a moment before he decided he wasn’t going to deal with it right now. “Well, okay, whatever. We can figure this out later, first I gotta kill your boss.”  
  
“That way,” Haruka pointed casually. “He walled himself up in his office. There’s no way out unless he passes us.”  
  
Nagisa nodded and turned to Rin, “You and I can take care of the rest. Haru,” he looked at the black haired teen, “Can you just watch over Rei for a bit?”  
  
“Sure,” Haruka nodded.  
  
“I’m fine,” Rei frowned.  
  
“Then think of it as protecting Haru,” Rin offered.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After Haruka’s boss had about seven bullets in his vitals, Haruka decided to follow the three of them to Iwatobi’s headquarters. He was a little surprised to see that it was just an old dormitory, or well… an old dormitory that turned into a brothel, then into headquarters, but it looked like a normal building, which was a good thing, he guessed, since they were hiding from the authorities.  
  
Kou was patching up Rei and Haruka watched. He suddenly felt a nudge and turned his head to see a trickster blond smiling at him.  
  
“So, guessing you won’t be a pole dancer anymore, huh?”  
  
“Not really,” Haruka didn’t realise it was a rhetorical question, “I think the place will close down.”  
  
“So then, why don’t you join Iwatobi?”  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow, thinking about it, then giving a nod.  
  
“Really?” Rin asked, “That’s it?”  
  
Haruka nodded, “Shooting a gun was, kind of fun.”  
  
Nagisa giggled and nodded, “It really is, huh?”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Shit,” Rin blinked as Haruka fired. “Your accuracy is dead-on, man.”  
  
“Thanks,” Haruka looked through the sniper scope, once again firing. He hit another target on the practice range and then fired at another.  
  
“So, did you ever shoot a gun before or something?”  
  
“Video games,” Haruka answered honestly, “But that’s about it.”  
  
“Wow,” Rin chuckled. “I think you’ll be our new sniper.”  
  
“Okay,” Haruka nodded, firing again.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
It was after Haruka’s first mission that he was in one of the bathrooms, wiping the blood off of his face. He found out the hard way that shooting someone that tackled you can end up as a mess. He made a mental note to avoid that if he could. He rubbed his wet hands against his face, grumbling as it wasn’t coming off.  
  
“Haruka,” Rei tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
Haruka looked up at the mirror, then turned around slowly. “Yeah?”  
  
“You performed excellently,” Rei smiled, “I just wanted you to know that.”  
  
Feeling his cheeks warm, Haruka nodded and forced himself to look away.  
  
When Rei left, he couldn’t help but wonder why his knees were going weak. Rin and Nagisa had already complimented him, but when Rei did it… Either way, he couldn’t deny it made him happy.  
  
Happy.  
  
He looked at the mirror, seeing a small smile on his blood-covered face.  
  
Somehow, in the wild mix of things, he finally ended up happy.


	19. Part 15: Choose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the next update, I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> Oh, and I dedicate this chapter to Aislashu, my inspiration for this bit. <3

Makoto dropped his keys in the bowl at the main entrance of his uncle’s mansion and it made a _clinking_ sound. A security guard gave him a nod and he smiled back, a forced smile but it looked natural. He was getting good at that. Before meeting Nagisa, he couldn’t ever betray his emotions. Now…  
  
He had to.  
  
He stepped into the house and made his way down the long halls towards the kitchen. He gave a little sigh and turned to the fridge. Opening the door, he grabbed the pitcher of water and paused. It had been a while now, but he couldn’t help but think to when he was kidnapped. This was how it all began, wasn’t it? He was getting a drink, opened the window…  
  
He remembered the security guard dropping dead. The first time he’d seen someone die… well, the only time he’d seen someone die, but he hoped it was also the last. It made him queasy just thinking about the unmoving corpse. How something could look like any other human, but hold no life. Like a hollow doll…  
  
He shuddered, turning around as he closed the fridge door. He grabbed a cup and poured himself a glass of water.  
  
“Hey…”  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened and he looked to the side to see his uncle staring at him. “Hey.”  
  
“Are you alright?” Yamato tilted his head, looking concerned.  
  
Makoto chuckled, “Yeah, just a long day. You’re right: Kids my age shouldn’t wake up so early.” He forced himself to smile. He had no reason to smile. Quite the opposite really. He drank from his glass then put it down. “Oh, um… you’re heading to your villa thing in a couple days, right?”  
  
“Yeah,” he nodded, “Gonna be there all week. You can get groceries and stuff right? You don’t need me to ask a security guard to help you do you?”  
  
“No,” he chuckled, “I’m nineteen, so I really hope I can get my own groceries by now.”  
  
Yamato laughed. “Why do you ask?”  
  
“Well, you’re gonna be gone for a while, thinking about going to Nagisa’s for the week,” he looked at his glass, “Maybe, I don’t know. Haven’t decided anything yet.” He looked over to his uncle and blinked when the man gave him a knowing smile. “What?”  
  
“Well,” he gave a playful shrug, “I have a feeling I know what you two are going to do there!”  
  
“Huh?” Makoto blinked, then–“O-oh, n-no, it’s not like that…”  
  
“You’re nineteen! It’s fine! Boys have urges!”  
  
Makoto’s face went bright red and he had another glass of cold water before meeping and excusing himself.  
  
  
He went up the stairs and entered his room, closing the door behind him.  
  
He pressed his back against the door, clasping his hands over his face. He shuddered and wanted to gag, but told himself to stay calm. If he ended up puking, it wasn’t going to help anyone.  
  
Back in the senior lounge, he saw the reports Rei gave him.  
  
It was true.  
  
There were images of his uncle, identifiable images. He knew it was truth, but he didn’t want to believe it. It made him sick and queasy and he didn’t know what to do or how to feel or…  
  
He shook his head and reached into his pocket. He figured Nagisa could help him calm down so he pulled out his phone and flipped it open. His green eyes widened when he saw the background image. It was taken at the festival, when Nagisa was in his green kimono. Nagisa was hugging him from behind while his little siblings were in his lap. It was the most adorable picture he’d ever seen, but his eyes looked to the twins.  
  
They were the right age.  
  
Makoto moved his hand over his mouth and closed his eyes. He gagged and tried to calm himself.  
  
  
 _“—Nagisa!”  
  
Nitori paused, blinking.  
  
Nagisa looked over. “What is it?”  
  
Rei and Haruka were standing at the doorway, both of them donning a serious expression. Rei stepped in and handed a stapled stack of paper to the blond.  
  
Nagisa stood up and took it. He frowned, not exactly liking the fact that Rei and Haru ruined his important course on lap dancing, but as soon as he read the first few lines of the paper, his expression went neutral. He read line after line of the first paragraph, then the next, and the next, and then looked at Rei. “You… can confirm this?”  
  
Rin frowned, looking at the two other seniors. He was in the mood for a lap dance instead of serious stuff, but it was obvious something was going down. “What’s going on?”  
  
Haruka looked at Rin, but said nothing.  
  
Rei nodded. “The other pages are intercepted emails from Yamato Tachibana to his clients, under an alias, but I can confirm it is him.”  
  
Makoto blinked, “My uncle?”  
  
Nagisa flipped through the pages, scanning each piece of paper for a couple seconds before he took a seat next to his boyfriend. Dark pink eyes looked up to him and he took in a deep breath. “Mako-chan, I think… we are gonna need to have a little talk with your uncle, if you don’t mind…”  
  
Makoto blinked, “What?”  
  
“Oy,” Rin scowled, “Speak up. What the hell’s going on?”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses and looked over to the redhead, but before he could speak, someone spoke first.  
  
“Well,” Nagisa looked around, “Let’s just say we’re going to be bringing our guns when we have that nice little chat with Yamato Tachibana.”  
  
Rin’s brows furrowed and he pursed his lips.  
  
Nitori went quiet, looking at Rin for some kind of answer. When he got none, he looked to Nagisa.  
  
Kou crossed her legs and smoothed her skirt with her hands. “Nagisa, tell us what’s going on.”  
  
“Human trafficking is common in Japan,” Nagisa flipped the page, “Well… to be honest, human trafficking is common everywhere in the world. But it’s pretty bad in these parts of Japan, though… Everything’s bad in this prefecture… But they’re minors.”  
  
“Wait,” Rin frowned, “Stop blabbing on about nothing. Human trafficking with minors?”  
  
“Sorry…” Makoto looked around, “I feel like I’m missing something.” Everyone was freaking out while he was wondering how kids were related to traffic lights. “Um, what’s… human trafficking?”  
  
“Trade of humans as goods,” Rei explained. “The most common uses are forced labour, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, or extraction of organs, as well as many other less-than-decent activities. It is, arguably, the worst of illegal trade. Lowest of the low.”  
  
“But,” Nitori’s eyes narrowed and he forced himself to still his shaking hands, “Nagisa, you said minors… how… how young are we talking?”  
  
“Looks pretty young,” Nagisa muttered.  
  
Rei cleared his throat, “Average age of these victims is about fifteen, but they go as low as eight. They are shipped overseas, where they’re going to be prostituted until someone wants to buy them for permanent sexual uses. As for their chance of returning to their families… well, the international market for this is just too desperate.”  
  
Kou rubbed a hand against her throat, biting her lip.  
  
“Fucking sick,” Rin frowned.  
  
Makoto took a deep breath and looked down. “But… I don’t…”  
  
“Makoto…” Haruka took a seat next to him and placed a hand softly on his knee. “I… I know you don’t want to hear it, but… you should face the fact, your uncle, is, a leading figure in the crime world.”  
  
Nagisa sighed and dropped the papers onto the table. “Well, at least that explains some things. Looks like you’re surrounded by crime lords, Mako-chan. Not that I really want to be compared to him… I mean sure we do bad things, but that’s just… that’s way too fucking far. I just… I need fresh air.”_  
  
  
Makoto took a deep breath, feeling claustrophobic in his room. He walked over to his bed and suddenly felt dizzy. He paused and rubbed his throat. Everything was just so wrong. He stripped off his jacket, pants and socks and tossed himself on his bed. He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. He didn’t know how to feel or what to think or how to act… This was his uncle. The same uncle that took care of him when he was little. When he was that age, the age of those victims…  
  
Part of him didn’t believe it.  
  
He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. His uncle had always been a guy with a funny smile and a good sense of humour. His uncle had a strong sense of justice, and he was running for mayor so he could tighten his grip on illegal activities, not… Makoto paused. “So many questions,” he muttered out loud and thought of what his uncle was getting away with. It was sick, “But Nagisa wants to stop him.”  
  
He remembered the conversation, at the coffee shop, where Nagisa told him he wasn’t a good person.  
  
“Sure you aren’t,” he said with a light chuckle.  
  
He rubbed his face with his hands and shook his head. It was too much to think about for one day. He needed sleep. He didn’t bother flicking off the lights, just closed his eyes. His wracked brain had no problem with shutting down and just drifting off…  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Coffee.”  
  
Makoto blinked and looked up in time to see the steaming cup placed in front of him.  
  
“Do you want milk or sugar?”  
  
Makoto glanced up at Haruka and smiled. “Lots of milk, no sugar… thanks.” He was half wondering where Haruka got the milk from, considering he was in the senior lounge and there were no fridges as far as he saw.  
  
“You don’t look well,” Haruka muttered as he poured the milk into the coffee, watching the café noir change colour to a more brownish white.  
  
“Bad dream,” he admitted.  
  
Haruka stopped pouring and looked at him. “Want to talk about it?”  
  
“No, but… I… I,” he looked at Nagisa who was sitting across from him, “I want to come along. On the mission.”  
  
“Huh?” was the blond’s only response.  
  
Rei looked over to Nagisa, “Your call.”  
  
Nagisa looked at Makoto and blinked. He didn’t seem surprised, though.  
  
“He’s my uncle… I just,” Makoto frowned, “I can’t sit here and stay behind.”  
  
Rin sighed, “Don’t get emotional. I know you’ve got personal ties, and we get that, we would have them too, but emotions and shit, missions aren’t the place for them.”  
  
“Rin’s right,” Nagisa agreed.  
  
“But,” Makoto began,  
  
“Shh,” Nagisa put a finger to his lips, “I’m not done, Mako-chan. If you want to come along, you can but you need to know what you’re getting involved in. You’re my boyfriend, and that’s great, you’re special to me, but that won’t change the consequences. Dead weight is dead weight. Company rules are to shoot the person who fucks up.”  
  
Makoto pursed his lips.  
  
Nagisa sighed. “You remember, when I was kicking you out the first time, and you asked to join Iwatobi? You remember what I said, Mako-chan? You can’t pull the trigger. If the situation comes up, nobody’s gonna feel safe with you holding a gun. If you wanna come along, you’re not getting one, you’re going in unarmed. If you end up separated from us, you’ll die. I’ll let you die. More than that, you coming along puts every other unit at risk. You being my boyfriend won’t change that your life means less than the rest of us.”  
  
“Okay,” Makoto nodded, “I’m not scared.”  
  
Haruka frowned.  
  
Makoto noted it and wondered if Haru was hoping he would be. When he looked Nagisa, he realised both of them were hoping he’d chicken out. “I’m coming. If I die, I die.”  
  
Nagisa pursed his lips and looked to the side. “Nitori.”  
  
“Y-yes, Nagisa?”  
  
“I want Haruka on the field with us, so you’ll be our sniper.” Nagisa sighed, “Makoto’s a liability… I don’t like this, but if anyone gives you orders to shoot Makoto, do it.”  
  
“Yes sir.”  
  
Makoto felt his throat tighten. ‘ _At the festival… I was surprised to see them so, close, and friendly with each other… I forgot they were people too, but… I guess now I forgot they were also pretty cut-throat. They’re all business._ ’  
  
“Don’t come.”  
  
Makoto blinked, looking to see Haruka staring at him. “Haru?”  
  
“Please,” Haruka’s eyes moved away, “Don’t come.”  
  
“I’m coming,” Makoto sighed, “I have to.”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses, ignoring them and focusing on Nagisa. “If something happens to Makoto, there goes your alibi.”  
  
“I know,” the blond nodded, “I’ll deal with that later. I have connections. Rei, I want the plan adjusted and finalised. Rin, have one of the juniors double check inventory. Haruka, inform Nitori about the sniper’s job since he’s taking your spot. Makoto,” Nagisa paused, “This isn’t a game… last chance.”  
  
“I’m coming.”  
  
“Fine, you jerk face,” Nagisa pouted. “I finally got a nice boyfriend, so don’t you die on me.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
An hour later, Nagisa exited the building and felt the chilly air tickle his skin. He half considered going back in to get his jacket, but he only wanted a couple minutes with the fresh air to help him think things through. He rubbed his arms, frowning at nothing in particular and ended up staring off into the distance, at some non-existent point.  
  
“Yo.”  
  
Nagisa blinked and looked to the side to see Rin with a cigarette in his mouth. “Hey, what are you doing out here?”  
  
“Needed a quick smoke break,” Rin admitted as he sighed, “You?”  
  
“I just needed a quick break break,” Nagisa forced a chuckle and rubbed his forehead.  
  
Rin chuckled, but the laughter died quickly. “Hey… Kou’s worried about you, you know? Nagi… are you, sure about this?”  
  
‘Nagi’ was an old nickname and Nagisa almost chuckled upon hearing it again. His dark pink eyes looked at Rin’s red ones and he smiled, “Bringing Makoto along? No, I’m not sure. You know I just really wish he wasn’t coming but… I _did_ kinda expect it would end up this way.”  
  
“Yeah,” Rin nodded, “I did too, Rei three.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Your Makoto… he cares about you, but he’s also… kinda a big family guy, I guess,” Rin shrugged. He took in a drag of his cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke, “He’s gonna care for his uncle too. It…” he paused, then saw Nagisa was giving him his ‘go on’ face and he sighed. “Rei thinks he’s going to come along to try to get between you and his uncle—so he can solve the problem without anyone getting hurt.”  
  
“You’ve been talking to Rei a lot,” Nagisa pointed out.  
  
“Well, he hooked me and Ai up together,” Rin chuckled. “He doesn’t have as big of a stick jammed up his ass I thought. I mean he still has one, but it’s more of a size two while I thought it was a size seven.”  
  
Nagisa snorted and crossed his arms, “That’s one way to describe him, I guess.”  
  
Rin smiled and took another drag of his cig before dropping it and stepping on it, crushing it beneath his toes. He blew out the cloud of grey black smoke and looked up. “So, what do you think… about Makoto I mean? About him trying to stop everyone getting hurt, and shit?”  
  
“I think he’s a stupid face,” Nagisa looked up as well, noticing it was getting dark already. It was still early, though. “Hmmm, looks like a storm’s coming. Black clouds and stuff.”  
  
“Uhuh,” Rin nodded. “Well, it’s just Rei’s speculation, Makoto, I mean.”  
  
“So,” Nagisa looked at him, “What do you think?”  
  
“Me?” Rin pursed his lips and tilted his head. He stayed quiet for a moment then looked at the blond, “I think Rei’s probably right. Makoto’s not exactly unpredictable. I just hope he doesn’t fuck things up.”  
  
“He will.”  
  
Rin blinked, “Then why are you letting him come?”  
  
“I… have my reasons.”  
  
“You’re keeping secrets.”  
  
“Yep!”  
  
“Nagisa…”  
  
“What?”  
  
“You’re acting strange,” Rin frowned. “I mean… you always keep secrets, you’ve always been that way, that’s who you are, but… I don’t know. I don’t like whatever you’re doing, and it sounds dangerous.”  
  
“It’s fine,” Nagisa laughed, “No one’s in danger. I just need him to know something.”  
  
“And what if it puts you in danger?” Rin sighed, “What if your stupid shit you keep doing lands you in a problem, huh?”  
  
Nagisa crossed the distance between them and gently took Rin’s face in his hands. He snickered and grinned before going on his tippy-toes, pushing their lips together.  
  
There was the flavour of smoke from the cigarette on his tongue and the scent of dry pine from Rin’s deodorant filling Nagisa’s nostrils, giving the kiss a warm campfire taste.  
  
The kiss was short and chaste, but Nagisa enjoyed it nonetheless. He pulled his lips away and laughed, “You know I’m always at risk of dying, Rin, so are you. If I go down, you’re my second in command for a reason. You take over.”  
  
“But–”  
  
“Don’t worry,” Nagisa interrupted, “I’m not gonna leave Iwatobi any time soon. We’ve been through this together from the start. You and Kou, you’re my best friends, you’re my family. So stop whining like a little girl or I’ll shoot you, you fucking moron.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Haruka had left the senior lounge and ended up in the normal lounge, mostly because the sofas were comfy and the room was quiet. All the juniors were getting ready for the mission. Everyone was busy. He kept his head down, frowning. He put his hands on his knees and squeezed the fabric of his pants. He sighed, closing his eyes. He shook his head, a bit to the left, a bit to the right, before he felt something on his shoulder. He looked up and blinked in surprise. “Rei?”  
  
Rei offered a small smile as he took a seat next to Haruka. “Are you alright?”  
  
Haruka thought about the question. “Honestly…? No.”  
  
Rei bit his lip and slowly slipped an arm around the teen’s waist. “Do you want to talk about it?”  
  
Haruka shifted so he was leaning against his boyfriend and sighed. “I’m afraid… I… don’t… I don’t want anything to happen to Makoto.”  
  
Rei’s gaze softened and he closed his eyes, pulling Haruka closer. “I know. I don’t want it either. I don’t think anyone does.”  
  
Haruka closed his eyes. “It’s just… I’m not used to this. I’m never afraid when you’re on the field, same with Nagisa and Rin, and Kou, and Nitori…. and everyone. I’m not afraid, because we’re ready. We… we keep training, keeping ourselves fit. We eat right, we’re always ready. Makoto… I don’t know if he sees that.”  
  
“He does,” Rei opened his eyes and kissed the top of Haruka’s head.  
  
Haruka felt a small smile form on his lips and he looked up. “He does?”  
  
“He does,” Rei nodded. “Nagisa and Rin are worried… but, I think he knows very well what he’s getting himself involved in. Don’t worry so much. We need you on your best when it comes to the mission.”  
  
“Yeah,” Haruka mumbled. “I still don’t know what I’m doing on the mission, since I’m not the sniper anymore. Which is good, Nitori’s better than I am. I'd rather be on the field anyway. But what’s my new job?”  
  
“You’ll be taking Rin’s place and I’m moving Rin with Kou by the escape route.”  
  
Haruka sat up and blinked. “Is that a good idea?”  
  
“The escape route is a narrow path,” Rei adjusted his glasses, “And it has some twists and turns… To be honest, using a gun there is an extreme disadvantage. Upon reviewing, I realised the best way to make use of those two siblings is by letting them use hand-to-hand combat. You know as well as I do that they’ve both have a gift for it.”  
  
Haruka nodded slowly.  
  
When it came to fighting in close quarters, especially fighting dirty, Kou and Rin were beasts. Rin was feared by the juniors on what he could do to their bones with his hands alone, while Kou had crushed enough heads with her heels and severe kicks for the warning message to go across.  
  
The two of them were dirty fighters and would stop at nothing.  
  
“Wait,” Haruka blinked, “I see… So I’ll be joining the main force, with Nagisa…. and Makoto, to confront Yamato Tachibana?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei nodded. He reached over, grabbing a piece of paper he placed on the table and handed it to Haruka. “Here’s the blueprints for you to familiarise yourself with.”  
  
Haruka took the piece of paper and nodded. He noticed two lines, one in red, and the other in green. “This one is our entrance, that’s our exit?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei pursed his lips. “Haruka.”  
  
“Haru,” he corrected as he looked up, “You can call me Haru.”  
  
“Oh,” Rei looked away, feeling his cheeks warm. “Haru… just… be careful out there, alright?”  
  
“I always am.”  
  
“I know, but…” Rei frowned, wondering how to put it into words. “I have a feeling… I don’t know, perhaps I am just being paranoid.”  
  
“That’s not beautiful.”  
  
Rei blinked and looked at Haruka. Noting the small smile on his lips, Rei chuckled. “No, it’s not. But…” He tensed, “I’m serious. Be careful. Makoto’s not experienced, and Nagisa’s acting strange. I… As far as I’m concerned, if anything goes wrong, you are the only person on the main force I can trust to fix it. I don’t… want to lose Nagisa, or Makoto.”  
  
Haruka’s eyes widened slightly and he looked back to the blueprints.  
  
“To be honest, if this were any other mission, I would have told you to focus on the objective. But…” Rei sighed, “This mission, we gain nothing from it. This isn’t a job, or an assignment. This isn’t something we’re doing for money or even our own protection.”  
  
“You… disagree with it?”  
  
“No,” Rei said quickly. “I am as disgusting and enraged as anyone else. I believe this should be stopped, and I am not deluded enough to think the police will be able to do anything about it. Taking down Yamato will break a series of events which will deal lasting damage to the human trafficking in Japan as a whole, more if there is a public outrage, and the police will investigate the crime scene and gather evidence of its presence. What we’re doing will actually change the world for the better.”  
  
“Then what?”  
  
“I… I don’t know how to say it, Haruka… I mean, Haru, but… It feels, off.”  
  
Haruka swallowed hard.  
  
“Just stay alert,” Rei said firmly, “Please.”  
  
“I will,” Haruka leaned over and kissed his cheek.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Nitori,” she called out as she stepped closer to the sofas, “Have you seen my brother?”  
  
Nitori looked up and shook his head. “Said he went out for a smoke break, why?”  
  
“Just want to go over the mission,” Kou admitted with a sigh. She took a seat on one of the free sofas and ran a hand through her hair. She looked around and then suddenly chuckled. “It’s the senior lounge and only the three of us are here.”  
  
Makoto looked up from the report he was reading and chuckled. After such a dark topic, the humour was more than welcome. “Well, I have special permission… I think.”  
  
Nitori giggled softly before tilting his head. “Well, I’m dating a senior too. What’s your excuse, Kou?”  
  
“Not my fault they’re all gay!” Kou stuck her tongue out and the three of them laughed. Kou leaned back on the sofa and smiled, “Plus, I’m a founding member.”  
  
“Number three,” Nitori chimed.  
  
“Number two,” she corrected.  
  
Nitori looked up, “Huh? I thought Nagisa and Rin made Iwatobi together…” He looked at Makoto, as if seeking some answers.  
  
“I don’t know much about Iwatobi at all,” Makoto admitted. He looked at Kou curiously, “Nagisa hasn’t really told me anything.”  
  
Kou chuckled and tilted her head to the side. She contemplating telling them how Iwatobi was founded, but her smile faded at the memories and she shook her head softly. “It had a rough start… so you’ll have to forgive Nagisa, Rin, and I if we really… don’t want to talk about it.” She tried to keep her smile up, but it looked forced. “But Nagisa started it, doing most of it alone, then I helped out. Rin joined in, and then we started growing from there. Iwatobi used to be a lot more… cut-throat, actually.”  
  
Makoto raised an eyebrow, “Not to sound rude but… are you saying it isn’t now?”  
  
Kou laughed at that and moved some hair out of her eyes. “It’s not quite that… I mean we kill and torture more than we used to, but I guess what I’m referring to… is more… well… I guess the way we deal with each other. I don’t know if that makes sense, but…” Her voice trailed off when she heard the door being opened. She smoothed her skirt and stood up, “Onii-chan.”  
  
“Hey,” Rin stepped in and rubbed his neck.  
  
Nitori stood up as well and walked over.  
  
Rin smirked and leaned down, pressing their lips together for a quick moment.  
  
“Ugh,” Kou groaned and crashed back onto the sofa. “Am I the only one who’s single?”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Several days passed…  
  
“Mako-chan,” Nagisa said quietly.  
  
Haruka and Rei were in the front seat of the car, which was semi-blocked off by a roll-up black separator window.  
  
The back of the car was in a ‘U’ shape. It was the same one they used to kidnap Makoto. In the back, Nagisa sat next to Makoto on one side, Rin and Nitori across from them. On the base of the ‘U’, Kou sat by herself and took a deep breath. It was a quiet ride, only evading pure silence by the low hum of the car itself.  
  
“Mako-chan,” Nagisa repeated as he looked up, “Whatever I tell you to do, you do. You hear me?”  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto nodded. “I’m as ready for this as you are, Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa took a deep breath, not quite convinced, but he didn’t say anything out loud. He ran a hand through his unruly blond hair and looked away.  
  
“Don’t get nervous,” Rin sighed, “He knows the plan by heart. I made sure of it.”  
  
Nagisa looked at his boyfriend and gave him a playful nudge with his elbow. “Really, huh?”  
  
Makoto chuckled, thankful for the light moment of humour. It broke some of the tension and made him relax a bit. “Yeah, I can recite it for you if you want?”  
  
Nagisa grinned and crossed his arms, “Hmmm, if you get a perfect score, I’ll give you a smooch!”  
  
“That’s not a reward,” Rin frowned, “Nitori gives me blowjobs.”  
  
Nitori felt his face redden and he looked away.  
  
Nagisa thought about it. “But Mako-chan would be too embarrassed for me to give him a blowjob here!”  
  
“But it’s better with an audience,” Rin grinned and looked over to his boyfriend, “Do you wanna see Nagisa blow him?”  
  
Nitori looked up and shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah… I heard, well, Nagisa told me… he’s got… a really big, you know…”  
  
“Nagisa!” Makoto’s cheeks reddened, “You told Nitori about my…?”  
  
“He can’t even say ‘dick’,” Nagisa laughed, “He’s gonna get too shy for a car blowjob with voyeurs.”  
  
Makoto gawked and tried to cross his legs, “You’re dodging the question!”  
  
“Question?” Nagisa blinked, “Oh!” He laughed, “Well I had to tell _someone_ I hit gold!”  
  
Rin bit his lip, “Bigger than me, huh?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Nice and big, and thick… and mmm…”  
  
“Mmm,” Rin chewed on his lower lip with his sharp teeth, careful not to break the skin.  
  
“Ugh,” Nitori put both his hands over his head, “How am I supposed to be a good sniper with a boner!?”  
  
Nagisa cackled loudly.  
  
Makoto frowned and turned to Kou, “At least someone’s sensible here.”  
  
Kou blinked and snapped out of her daze, “Huh? Oh, sorry… no, I was just… imagining Nagisa, going down on you… that would be, hot.”  
  
Makoto covered his face with both hands.  
  
Nagisa leaned upwards and placed a small kiss on Makoto’s hand, the part covering his cheek. “Okay, okay, nobody’s gonna get a blowjob, at least not now. We can have victory blowjobs later and celebration blowies and lots of blowjobs after the mission, but—for now—Mako, you can win a good luck kiss if you can recite the whole plan to me.”  
  
“A good luck kiss?” Makoto spread his fingers slightly so he could peak at Nagisa. He was thankful for the change of subject and he slowly put his hands down. “The mission starts with you, Penguin, and Haruka, Dolphin, and myself going through the rear entrance of the small villa. We have to go upstairs, cross the hall, then upstairs again to his bedroom. Meanwhile, we pretty much have to avoid every security guard. Kou and Rin, Rockhopper and Shark, will be holding our exit on the west side of the building. Meanwhile, Nitori, who is Mackerel, will be with Rei, Butterfly, at a vantage point providing us with a sniper and informing us of any changes in the plan should something go awry, right?”  
  
“Good boy!” Nagisa launched out of his seat and somehow landed in Makoto’s lap while mashing their lips together.  
  
Makoto’s eyes went wide and he kissed back with a happy noise muffled into the kiss.  
  
“Wait,” Kou spoke up, “Makoto doesn’t have a codename.”  
  
Nagisa broke the kiss and turned to her. He then looked at Makoto and smiled, “Orca!”  
  
“Orca,” Makoto repeated, “Why that?”  
  
“Orcas are smart and gentle and they’ve got big dicks – I think, I don’t know, never saw an orca’s dick – and they’re just really cool! Oh wait; I have seen an orca’s dick! There was a video on the internet of Tillicum being jacked off.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, not sure how to reply, then chuckled. “Orca kinda fits.”  
  
“So um,” Nitori spoke up, “While we’re talking about codenames, is it too late to change mine?”  
  
Nagisa moved back to his seat and sighed softly, “No but… Haruka would probably cry.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Penguin, Dolphin, and Orca are moving,” Nitori reported as he looked through the scope. “They’ve entered the house; I’m going to lose visual of them.”  
  
“Alright,” Rei nodded as he looked over the villa. It was a big villa, in the sense that it was tall, but it wasn’t very wide, mostly because it was in a heavily forested area. It was built western-style, in the middle of nowhere, and frankly Rei thought it was an excellent location to conduct illegal activities. He was almost a little jealous of it, wondered if Makoto could inherit it from Yamato, but at the same time it was too far from their city for it to work realistically.  
  
 _“This is Shark. Penguin and I are in position, coast is clear.”_  
  
Rei tapped his earpiece, “Butterfly speaking, keep us updated on any change. Main force has moved into the building.”  
  
Nitori took a deep breath and kept looking through the scope, “Still no visual.” He frowned, checking each window. He looked at the one by the stairs, knowing they should have been there by now. “Oh!” His eyes widened, “Main force is moving to second floor.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Keep moving,” Nagisa whispered as he silently moved up the steps. Unlike Haruka and Makoto, Nagisa excelled at sneaking. Partially because his body was lighter than most, but also because of the countless times he liked to sneak up on people and yell ‘Boo!’ His mind thought back to when Rin was calling everyone boring and Nagisa surprised him. Rin freaked and tried to point a gun at him, but Nagisa twisted his wrist and put the gun in Rin’s mouth. ‘ _Why… why am I thinking about that now?_ ’ He looked over his shoulder, seeing Makoto and Haruka move onto the top step. He kept himself low and shuffled down the hall. ‘ _Focus, Nagisa…_ ’  
  
 _“Main force, this is mackerel!”_  
  
“Mackerel?” Haruka’s head perked up, then he realised it wasn’t a literal mackerel, but Nitori.  
  
 _“I’ve got a visual on the stairway to the third floor. It’s got security guards heading your way.”_  
  
“Shit,” Nagisa frowned.  
  
“There’s no other stairway up,” Makoto reminded them. “What do we do?”  
  
Nagisa looked back, “Haruka.”  
  
Haruka nodded and pulled out a pistol with a silencer on the end. He used his free hand to hit the button on his earpiece, “Dolphin speaking. I’m going to engage. Mackerel, when we move on keep an eye on the bodies. If anyone discovers them, shoot before they alert others.”  
  
 _“Got it, Senpai!”_  
  
“Senpai,” Nagisa repeated, “He’s so cute.”  
  
“You’re cuter,” Makoto smiled.  
  
“Aww,” Nagisa blushed.  
  
Haruka rolled his eyes, “I’m moving on ahead. I’ll let you know when it’s clear.”  
  
Nagisa gave a little nod and watched Haruka leave.  
  
Makoto looked up and frowned, “Is it okay for him to go alone?”  
  
“We’re trained for this,” Nagisa reminded. “It would be better if I went with him, but we can’t leave you here, and we can bring you along until it’s clear. Don’t worry, he can handle himself.”  
  
“Alright,” Makoto swallowed hard and nodded. He suddenly leaned in and pushed his lips against Nagisa.  
  
Nagisa blinked in surprise and pulled away, chuckling. “This really isn’t the place, Mako-chan…”  
  
“I know, sorry,” Makoto frowned at himself, “I’m just… this is, scary I guess.”  
  
“Don’t worry,” Nagisa was about to say something else, but was cut off.  
  
 _“Penguin, Orca!”_  
  
Nagisa put a hand on the button of his earpiece, “What is it, Nitori?”  
  
 _“Security guard patrols headed to your position!”_  
  
Nagisa put a hand on Makoto’s shoulder and yanked, hard.  
  
Makoto yelped as he fell face-first to the ground, “N-Nagisa?”  
  
“Play dead,” Nagisa ordered before pulling out his gun. “Mackerel, I’m going to neutralise the threat.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Outside, Rin ran a hand through his hair, growling angrily. He was pacing back and forth. His red eyes snapped to his sister and he groaned, “How do you do it?”  
  
Kou was kneeling by the exit and she looked up, “Huh?”  
  
“How do you do it, keep calm, stay here?” Rin frowned, knowing it was a stupid question. “I guess… I never gave you credit for keeping your cool and having our backs. I’ve always got aggressive jobs… they don’t keep me back for anything. I’m gonna blow a gasket here.”  
  
Kou smiled softly, “It’s just what I’m good at. Breathe, onii-chan.”  
  
Rin sighed and did as he was told. “I don’t know… I can hear what’s going on over the radio, and it’s just… I wish I was there with them…”  
  
Kou chuckled, “You really haven’t changed.”  
  
“Of course not,” Rin smiled softly.  
  
 _“Penguin speaking. Both threats have been dealt with. Watch the bodies, Mackerel. We’re going up the stairs.”_  
  
Kou bit her lip. “Keeping your cool isn’t easy… I don’t know what’s going up there, and it scares me… but I know what I’m doing now will help them survive. Focus on that, Rin.”  
  
Rin looked at her before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”  
  
Kou smiled, “Don’t apologise. Maybe now you’ll appreciate me more.”  
  
Rin chuckled, but his smile faded when he heard Nagisa’s next message over the radio.  
  
 _“Main force is entering the room.”_  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Nagisa looked at the doors in front of him, then glanced over his shoulder. “Haru, I want you to stay back and watch the exit. Makoto and I will be entering alone.”  
  
Haruka blinked, “But–”  
  
“No buts,” Nagisa interrupted. “Please.”  
  
Haruka remembered what Rei said before and it made his chest tighten. To be honest, if something went wrong, he didn’t trust those two either. He gave a tentative nod, then spoke up, “If you’re not out soon, I’m going to check on you, make sure the situation is under control.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Fair enough.”  
  
Makoto took a deep breath. “Ready?”  
  
“Ready.” Nagisa brought a hand up to his com-device, “Main force is entering the room.” He twisted the handles of the double doors and pushed them forward, letting them open. “In we go.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Yamato Tachibana had been working at his desk, writing a report on their recent sales. He heard something, but thought nothing of it. He liked his room at the villa. It was large, even by Western standards, and no one bothered him for anything. There was the exception of occasional work related missives, but that was fine by him. He was fiddling with a pen, scratching the side of a paper until the ink decided to work again, when the sound of footsteps made him freeze.  
  
“Yama-chan!”  
  
Yamato’s eyes widened and he jumped out of his chair. His eyes widened when he saw two people in his room, only fifteen steps between them. “M-Makoto…? N-Nagisa?”  
  
Makoto stayed behind Nagisa as he was told and his eyes narrowed.  
  
“Uncle-dearest,” Nagisa teased and put his hands behind his back. He tilted his head to the side, battering his blond eyelashes and letting his dark pink eyes stare at the man in front of him. “We have someone with a gun at the door in case you try to run, and… well, not that a man your age should be jumping out windows, especially not on the third floor, but we have snipers prepared to take any action, if need be. Even if you somehow dispatch us, you won’t make it out alive, so why doesn’t Yama-chan be a good boy, shut up, listen to what we have to say and only talk when spoken to?”  
  
Yamato felt his throat tighten and he glared at Makoto. “You… You’re… Did you say snipers?” He blinked, “You have snipers? Who are you?”  
  
“Nagisa Hazuki,” the blond said in a dangerous tone, “Lead member of the illegal organised-crime enterprise, Iwatobi. We’ve had ‘business’ together before.”  
  
Yamato raised his head, keeping his head high. “I see…” his eyes moved back to Makoto. “So you were dating your kidnapper?”  
  
“Sorry,” Makoto frowned.  
  
Nagisa glanced sidelong at his boyfriend. The anger in Makoto’s voice was new, kind of sexy, but new, and dangerous. Dangerous in two ways, though: It was dangerous for Yamato, but it was also dangerous for the entire mission. If Makoto was set off, he’d explode like a bomb. Nagisa looked back at Yamato and offered a smile, “I’m gonna start by saying this, Yama-chan. I understand why you’re doing it.”  
  
“What?” Yamato blinked.  
  
Makoto looked at him, “Huh?”  
  
“We know what your business is, Yama-chan. Human trafficking is awfully in season. Especially with little kiddies.”  
  
Yamato took a step back, looking to Makoto. He suddenly understood the anger and felt sheepish.  
  
Nagisa chuckled, “But like I said. I understand why you do it. I’m the head of Iwatobi. I play around in the crime world too. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and not to mention the money is great! More than that, though… there’s something sick and wrong and exhilirating about it. Putting a gun to someone’s head, pulling the trigger, watching their brains blow out the side. It’s fun. I love it. Killing someone is the best thing you can do with your life. To feel someone’s heart stop beating beneath you, to watch them stop breathing, to hear them choke on their own blood and struggle to live … nothing’s better!” He looked over to Makoto, seeing the disgusted look on his face. “If you ever need an idea for a Christmas, birthday or anniversary present, Mako-chan, find me someone to shoot!”  
  
“Nagisa…” Makoto’s face paled.  
  
Dark pink eyes looked back to Yamato. “The crime world is fun, and the victims are even funner. Watching someone squirm, watching them die, to violate someone’s right to life, to their own organs… to sabotage an entire crop so a business burns to the ground, sometimes actually burning a business to the ground, to break laws, it’s fun. It’s liberating. It makes me feel alive. But,” there was a pause, “Even a monster like me has my limits.”  
  
Yamato’s gaze became stern and he kept eye contact with the blond.  
  
“I want you to know that I’m not a hero, I’m not an angel. I’m not giving you the bullshit ‘Mother Teresa treatment’. I’m saying this from one murderer to another, what you’re doing now is what I consider ‘too far’.” Nagisa took a step forward.  
  
Yamato instantly stepped back.  
  
“N-Nagisa,” Makoto felt his throat tighten.  
  
Nagisa smiled and took another step forward. “I told you, before, I enjoy killing. I want to put a gun to your head, watch your brains fly out like fireworks of meat. It’ll be fun!”  
  
Yamato’s hand slowly moved behind his back.  
  
Nagisa stopped his advanced and shook his head, “Don’t do that, Yama-chan. I didn’t say I’m going to kill you, just that I want to, you sick fuck.”  
  
Yamato froze, not moving.  
  
“Mako-chan here, believe it or not, still wants what’s best for you.”  
  
Makoto paused, then nodded.  
  
“He doesn’t want to kill you, because you’re his uncle and he loves you. You deserve it, but then again so do I…” Nagisa’s voice trailed off, but he laughed it off. “So, we’re at an interesting place, aren’t we? The weird part is, I’m sure we can negotiate. We can end this peacefully, I have every reason to believe that, Yamato Tachibana.”  
  
Makoto breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes.  
  
Yamato also seemed to relax. “So, what do you propose, then?”  
  
“If it was up to Nagi-chan, you’d be dead,” Nagisa admitted and looked over his shoulder, “I brought him along to negotiate for me.”  
  
Makoto blinked and looked at his boyfriend. “What? Really?”  
  
“Why else would I bring you along?” Nagisa pointed out, “You’re the only one who gives a shit whether this sick fuck lives or dies. If you weren’t here, it would be the same plan, just with me shooting him upon entering the room.”  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened, suddenly realising how much Nagisa was risking for him. He swallowed hard and looked at his uncle. “Nagisa might understand you, but I don’t. They’re…. kids, as young as, eight was it?” He looked at his boyfriend for confirmation and got a nod, so he looked back at his uncle. “You… fucking sick monster. You know what happens to them right? They’re going to be violated, sexually violated—they’re just kids you sick fuck!”  
  
Yamato pursed his lips.  
  
“Why?” Makoto tilted his head, eyes watering. “Why would you do that? You know…. Your nephew and niece, Ren and Ran, they’re both ten right now. I don’t know if I can keep them around you anymore… Why? Just, give me a fucking reason, why? Why, why?”  
  
Yamato looked away for a moment before speaking. “It’s not like I wanted this to happen… It started with just… It started with adults. I would have never thought about doing it to children. I needed money at the time, and I had a place of political power, enough that I could help these people…. It was supposed to be a one-time job. An adult male, he was about forty, and they just wanted his kidneys. One time became two times, then three, four, five…”  
  
“And you went along?” Makoto scowled.  
  
“It was only five people,” Yamato defended, “Your boyfriend’s killed more than five people!”  
  
“It’s true,” Nagisa defended.  
  
Makoto looked at Nagisa and frowned.  
  
Nagisa rolled his eyes, “Makoto he’s got the rest of the story about how he built a pedophilia empire, if you’re gonna stop him so soon, he won’t get anywhere.”  
  
Makoto’s hands turned into fists at Nagisa’s disregard, but he knew the blond had a point too. “Alright, go on.”  
  
“It just, incrementally got worse…” Yamato sighed, “I used to hate it, hate what I was doing… but the money came in and… one job lead to another, and then we hooked up with a large exporter… and it, all went downhill from there.”  
  
Makoto waited for more and blinked when there was no more. “That’s it?”  
  
“Yes,” he nodded, “That’s it. I never decided I wanted to target children… it sort of shifted, gradually. First we went for twenties, then younger gave more money, so we shifted to nineteen, eighteen, then sixteen… At that point, I landed a better job in this illegal trade. I was one of the heads. I oversaw what was happening. I wasn’t big enough to choose who was taken, never had that power. I had to do paperwork and clear things through. I had no real power, but I was stuck. Makoto, this kind of job… dealing with the crime world, not many people can get out of it. Once you’re in, they shoot you in the head if you try to leave. I know what you’re here for, you want to negotiate and the only thing you want me to do is stop. Well, I can’t. There was a time I could have run off with my life, but that was years and years ago. The only peaceful thing we can do now is leave each other alone.”  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened. “Wh-what?”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Nagisa whispered. “I wanted to tell you… but you wouldn’t have listened.”  
  
Makoto looked at Nagisa and froze.  
  
“The crime world… even for me,” Nagisa looked up, “There’s no way out. We’re in this to the end, and it only gets worse.”  
  
“Only gets… worse?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “That’s the real reason you’re here, Makoto. You want to spend your life with me, but you don’t know what that means. Who knows…? Maybe in ten years’ time,” he looked up, “I’ll be just like him. Iwatobi… I’ve been saying this for a while, now, if you want to be part of Iwatobi, the only time you’re allowed to leave is when you’re in a body bag. This isn’t a kid’s game, Makoto. It’s too late for your uncle, it’s too late for me… So, for yourself, don’t get involved!”  
  
Makoto turned to face the blond and grabbed his shirt.  
  
Nagisa yelped.  
  
“How many times do I have to tell you?” Makoto’s eyes narrowed, “I want to be with you. I know what I’m getting into.”  
  
“You don’t!” Nagisa corrected, “You–” The blond’s foot suddenly rammed into Makoto’s stomach and sent them both back in opposite directions, barely dodging a bullet that followed the crack of a gunshot.  
  
Makoto fell to the floor and looked up.  
  
Yamato had a pistol in his hand and aimed it at Nagisa.  
  
Nagisa got up and took a shallow breath. He could stall until Haruka got here, but… there wouldn’t be enough time. His eyes locked on Yamato’s finger, around the trigger, watching it curl. ‘ _Fuck!_ ’ He tossed himself to the right, dodging another bullet. He rolled across the floor and barely caught himself. As fast as he could, he ran up to the man.  
  
“You little shit!” Yamato’s eyes widened when Nagisa began to close the space between them and he fired.  
  
Nagisa felt the bullet whiz buy and smirked. Yamato had a gun, but Nagisa realised he had no idea how to use it. But as the distance closed, he knew experience didn’t matter. No one could miss a shot at point-blank. Face-to-face, he rammed a fist into Yamato’s stomach.  
  
Yamato coughed violently, but he didn’t lose grip of the weapon.  
  
Nagisa grabbed Yamato’s tie and pulled. From the force he lifted himself up and kicked at Yamato’s hand, forcing the weapon out of his grip. He snickered in victory and dropped down to the floor. He reached for the gun.  
  
But Yamato moved faster: He used his longer legs to kick the gun, sending it sliding across the floor.  
  
Nagisa lunged forward.  
  
Yamato did too.  
  
The pistol whirled along the ground, but came to a stop when it hit someone’s foot.  
  
“Makoto!” Yamato shouted, “Shoot him! There’s still a way out for you!”  
  
Makoto didn’t think twice before he grabbed the gun. He aimed it at Nagisa, but swallowed hard. There was no way he could… could he?  
  
Nagisa got to his feet and paused, only staring at Makoto.  
  
Yamato did the same.  
  
Makoto had both hands around the gun’s handle, finger around the trigger, and he stared at the short blond in front of him, with those damn dark pink eyes he adored so much. “Nagisa…”  
  
Nagisa cackled and put his hands on his waist. “Shoot me, Mako-chan… if you can.”  
  
Yamato frowned, “Here! Give me the gun!”  
  
Makoto shifted, aiming the gun at his uncle.  
  
“M-Makoto!”  
  
“Just,” Makoto swallowed hard, looking between the two. “Let me think… just let me think, okay?”  
  
There was a pause.  
  
“Makoto!” Haruka called out as he entered the room.  
  
Makoto felt a chill run down his spine.  
  
Nagisa frowned, “Stay out of it Haru.”  
  
“What’s going on?” Haruka’s blue eyes widened as he stared at the brunet’s back. “Makoto?”  
  
“Shut up,” Makoto called out, not taking his eyes off the two in front of him. “I need to think…” He looked at his uncle, who was doing this to help him, but how could he choose him over…. He suddenly felt his throat tighten. His green eyes stared into dark pink, then looked down.  
  
Smiling.  
  
Nagisa was smiling.  
  
Makoto felt his stomach squeeze and he swallowed hard. “I…” He pointed the gun to his uncle, then back to Nagisa.  
  
How could he shoot either one of them? How could he only save one of them? Sure, Nagisa was the better choice… he loved him, but… There was something dark and twisted about the smile, and the words earlier about the love of murder painted his boyfriend the same colour as his uncle. But his uncle was worse… his victims were children, but he didn’t have a choice. His uncle was stuck in a position he couldn’t get out of; and, unlike Nagisa, his uncle took no pleasure in his work.  
  
Was that even a fair moral basis to judge the decision?  
  
“You have to choose,” Nagisa crossed his arms and giggled, “Shoot me, your super-duper cutie-patootie boyfriend, or shoot the uncle who’s been taking care of you since you were just chibi Mako-chan!”  
  
“Shut up!” Makoto frowned. “You’re…” His green eyes widened, “You’re getting a kick out of this, aren’t you?”  
  
“Of course I am!” Nagisa laughed.  
  
Haruka frowned, “Nagisa…”  
  
“This is nothing compared to what I’ve done to others, it’s fun,” Nagisa pointed out. “I get off on this kinda stuff, torturing people, mind games. You can ask Haruka if I’m really so bad… he’ll tell you I am.”  
  
“Stop, stop!” Makoto begged, “I… let me think, please, please… let me think.”  
  
“Makoto,” Haruka pulled out his own gun and kept it at his side. Slowly, he stepped forward, “You can’t do this. Give me the gun.”  
  
Makoto took a small breath and lowered the gun slightly.  
  
“Don’t spoil my fun.” Nagisa reached behind him and pulled out a gun.  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened. He looked at the gun in his hand, realising it was his uncles—of course Nagisa had his own gun.  
  
“Sorry, nothing personal.”  
  
Haruka blinked, “Nagisa!”  
  
Nagisa pulled the trigger and the crack of a gunshot echoed in the room.  
  
Haruka fell to his knees, clutching his knee. “Fuck…”  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened and he looked to the side.  
  
“Haru-chan,” Nagisa smiled, “If you even move to get comfortable, I’ll shoot you in the head next time.” He raised the gun and aimed it at Makoto.  
  
Makoto felt his knees shake. He was pointing a gun at his boyfriend; his boyfriend was pointing a gun at him. Would Nagisa…? His green eyes glanced to Haruka, then back at Nagisa. He swallowed hard.  
  
“This is fun,” Nagisa grinned, “Oh no, little Mako-chan who can’t hurt a fly has to choose between who lives and who dies… isn’t that kind of ironic?”  
  
“Don’t talk,” Makoto said without strength in his voice.  
  
“Shoot me.” Nagisa’s smile faded, “Shoot me, or I’ll shoot you.”  
  
“Don’t,” Makoto’s eyes watered. His hands began shaking, grip on the gun becoming numb. His chest tightened, his breath quickened… “Don’t do this to me.” His finger curled around the trigger.  
  
“I’ll be extra nice!” Nagisa said with a serious face, “I’ll give you five more seconds, or boom-boom, no more Mako-chan! Okay? Five…”  
  
“Nagisa,” he said in disbelief.  
  
“Four…”  
  
“Please, please don’t!”  
  
“Three…”  
  
“Nagisa!”  
  
“Two…”  
  
“I can’t do it!”  
  
“One…”  
  
“I love-” Makoto was cut off by a gunshot. A bullet whizzed by him and he opened his eyes. Something behind him (a window?) shattered and he felt his heart stop. For a moment, he thought he was dead, then he realised just his vision was blurry and something was running down his face. He rubbed his eyes, wiping his tears on his sleeve and looked up to see the most disappointed look on Nagisa’s face.  
  
Nagisa just sighed.  
  
“I can’t… I can’t shoot you, I can’t do it! I… I love you, Nagisa.”  
  
“Stupid Mako-chan,” Nagisa frowned, “You love me, so good for you.”  
  
“But,” Makoto blinked, “You said, you love me back.”  
  
“Sure, I guess I do… but, come on, let’s be serious. You didn’t really think we could have a future together, did you?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Look at me, look at who I am,” Nagisa frowned, “I’m the head of Iwatobi, a bloody and ruthless organised-crime enterprise. I told you, didn’t I? That one day I’m going to die; that one day, I’m gonna get punished for all the stupid shit I pull on people. I don’t have a future, Makoto. I won’t make you happy,” he moved the gun and aimed it at Yamato. “Your uncle here, he cares about you. So right now, you’re going to make the right choice for you, okay?”  
  
Makoto shook his head, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it… I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it! I… I… love you, so much… your dorky smile, and stupid jokes, and your nipples that can cut diamonds…”  
  
Yamato blinked.  
  
“And, I just…”  
  
“Shut it,” Nagisa sighed, “Just do it, Makoto.”  
  
“No!”  
  
“Shoot me!”  
  
“No!” Makoto shouted. Unable to take it anymore, his knees gave out and he crashed to the ground, sobbing. “Shoot me instead, please… I can’t do it.”  
  
“Makoto… this is how I want to go.”  
  
“No,” Makoto shook his head.  
  
“I’m deciding my own death,” Nagisa chuckled, “Whether you like it or not, Mako-chan.”  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened and he looked up.  
  
Nagisa moved the gun and pushed the barrel against the side of his head. “You can’t deny, that everything I’ve done comes down to this…”  
  
“Nagisa!” Haruka shouted in disbelief.  
  
Makoto got to his feet and aimed his gun at Nagisa. “If, if you shoot yourself—I’ll shoot you!”  
  
“Oh, Mako-chan,” Nagisa closed his eyes for a final time, chuckling with a big smile.  
  
“Please,” Makoto begged for the last time.  
  
“Bye-bye.”  
  
After a gunshot, a small burst of blood hit his face.  
  
Green eyes widened in terror. 

  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Eventually, the members of Iwatobi made it to the car parked about a kilometer away. It looked like a normal black car, slightly longer, and everyone got in as instructed. It was far bigger inside, and it had cushioned seats like a limousine, shaped in a ‘U’. Rei was driving, Haruka joined him in the front seat. In the back, Rin, Kou, and Nitori sat cramped together at the base of the ‘U’.  
  
Nobody said anything and the silence only made the air heavier with tension.  
  
Finally, after almost half an hour of nothing but the light hum of the car’s engine, he took a deep breath. “Mako—”  
  
“—Shut up,” Makoto’s eyes narrowed at the person sitting across from him, “Shut the fuck up.”  
  
“I—”  
  
“Shut it.”  
  
Nagisa’s dark pink eyes widened, and he stared at Makoto for a while, but he eventually just nodded…


	20. Case of Iwatobi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've last updated this fic, and to make up for it here's an abnormally long chapter (even longer than the last). Well here it is, the last Case of!

A single house, single room, dark and empty. The only light was the shine of the moonlight passing through the small window. The only sound was the pouring rain from outside. There was a burst of thunder, crack of lightning. The room illuminated for a flash of a second and then it returned to darkness. In the room, there could have been three people or one, depending on what counted as a person.  
  
Nagisa’s breathing became heavy, throat dry. He was on his knees, leaning forward, in the dark, alone. He was too afraid to turn on the lights; he was too afraid of seeing what was in front of him more clearly. His shaking hands moved to his head, fingers slipping through the unruly blond strands of hair. He clutched his head and began to shake.  
  
There was blood everywhere.  
  
In front of him, two bodies.  
  
His dark pink eyes looked at one of them and saw dark pink eyes looking back, but they were empty. He shook his head, trying to shake the image out of his mind. He started sobbing, unsure of what he should do. He looked again at the face staring at him. Even in the dark, he could see the gunshot wound.  
  
Middle of the forehead, a hole pouring red, endlessly.  
  
Nagisa shook his head again and looked to the other body. It was unmoving. He knew it was a corpse, but he he had to make sure. He crawled along the wet ground, wet with blood, and reached out to touch the body. It wasn’t like the movies, he realised, where the person would flip over the body and discover it was dead. No, there was a particular stiffness to it that made him understand immediately.  
  
Unable to take it anymore, he screamed.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Eyes snapped open.  
  
Everyone was looking at him.  
  
Nagisa looked around, instantly registering he was still in class. He looked to the side to see his best friend give him a worried look.  
  
“N-Nagisa?”  
  
He looked at his teacher, “Huh?”  
  
“You, uh,” the man forced a smile, “You were talking in your sleep… how about you go see the nurse?”  
  
“N-no…”  
  
Gou instantly raised her hand, “I’ll take him to the nurse’s office.”  
  
Nagisa brought a hand up to his cheek and noticed wetness. Was he crying? He felt the army of concerned looks staring at him and his throat tightened.  
  
Gou stood up and grabbed his arm, before dragging him off.  
  
In the hallway, Nagisa walked slowly, feeling Gou’s arm around his. It was affectionate gestures like that which made people think they were dating, but both of them usually laughed it off. It was more than obvious Nagisa didn’t like girls, and Nagisa wasn’t Gou’s type either. But there was no laughing this time. Nagisa swallowed hard and stopped. “What was I… what was I saying? I was talking in my sleep?”  
  
Gou looked down for a moment and then squeezed his arm, “Um… you were, calling for your parents.”  
  
“Oh,” Nagisa looked down as well, “That’s why I’m crying. I’m sorry, I… I probably worried everyone.”  
  
“It’s okay,” Gou smiled. She knew better than to say everyone understood or everyone cared, even if it was true. “How are you feeling?”  
  
“I just, wanna go home, really…”  
  
“I’ll take you,” she nodded. “Right now.”  
  
“No,” Nagisa smiled softly, “You know our teach’ is gonna ask the nurse if we stopped by.”  
  
“Right after, then.”  
  
“Okay.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Thank you,” Rin plastered a smile over his lips, “Please come back if you need anything.” As soon as the customer turned around, Rin dropped the stupid fake smile and sat back in the chair. He waited at the counter of the stupid store and looked around. He hated his job and nothing was going on, so now he was just filled with hate and boredom.  
  
His phone went off.  
  
Rin blinked and looked down. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his red phone, flipping it open and putting it to his ear. “Hello?”  
  
 _“Onii-chan, it’s me!”_  
  
“Hey,” he smiled softly, “What’s up?”  
  
 _“Yeah, just letting you know I’m going to take Nagisa home, okay? I’ll probably stay with him until late, so I won’t be home when you get there.”_  
  
“Ugh,” Rin rolled his eyes.  
  
 _“What?”_ The voice was snippy and to the point.  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
 _“You know, you try having your parents shot, maybe then you’ll understand why he needs someone to take care of him.”_  
  
“Well, sis,” Rin growled at his phone, “Pretty much feels that way considering they up’d and vanished.”  
  
 _“I know, but… Rin, you’re stronger than he is, okay? And he’s only thirteen, my age, onii-chan.”_  
  
Rin sighed, knowing that was true. “Fine, whatever, just… Just don’t, you know…”  
  
 _“Huh?”_  
  
“You know…” Rin shifted uncomfortably, “Some guys try to get sympathy sex from girls.”  
  
Gou burst into laughter.  
  
“What?” Rin frowned, “What’s so funny?”  
  
 _“Oh, nothing! Bye! Love you!”_  
  
“Hey!” he shouted, but the line went dead. He groaned and flipped his phone close and grumbled something.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Nagisa was waiting by the entrance of the school. He rubbed his arm, and noticed his best friend heading towards him, but she seemed to be laughing quite a bit. “Something funny?”  
  
Gou took a couple seconds to compose herself before a deep breath. “My brother said you might try to get sympathy sex from me.”  
  
Nagisa snerked.  
  
“Oh well,” Gou grinned, “Let’s head home.”  
  
Nagisa nodded. The walk was only ten minutes from the school, and before they knew it, Nagisa unlocked the front door and stepped in.  
  
Gou looked around. It was a bit of a mess, but not as bad as she was expecting. They both stepped into the kitchen and she glanced at the open pantry. The top shelf only had different cereals and the bottom shelf had about ten packets of macaroni and cheese. “Nothing else?”  
  
“Like what?” Nagisa asked honestly.  
  
“What do you mean like what?”   
  
Nagisa just shrugged, “I don’t really know what to buy… I mean, it’s been six months, but… I don’t really know how to live alone. I used to think I was so old, and I knew better than anyone else, but… I guess, I really don’t know anything.”  
  
Gou looked at the pantry and thought about it. “Um, well you can always get nuts, and actual pasta, and popcorn. Oh, and peanut butter… oh wait, you’re a freak who doesn’t like peanut butter.”  
  
Nagisa made an irked face at the word itself.  
  
“Freak,” Gou whispered as she mentally thought about bathing in peanut butter. “Um, maybe those cans of tuna? You like tuna, right?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded slowly.  
  
Gou looked over to her best friend, noticing just how utterly exhausted he looked. Six months ago, he was a flying blond ball of energy, now… “How about next time I go shopping we can go together?”  
  
“Huh?” Nagisa tilted his head, “Sure… I guess, I’ll stick with you. I don’t know how to buy groceries, really.”  
  
“Yeah,” Gou looked away. “Rin’s busy, working two jobs, so I mostly take care of shopping and stuff. Plus, he’s kind of hopeless when it comes to this stuff anyway. What’s your budget like?”  
  
“Um, I don’t know… my uncle sends me money every month. He said if I need more, I just have to ask.”  
  
Gou frowned, crossing her arms, “Some uncle he is… He’s supposed to be your guardian, not just leave you to fend for yourself.”  
  
“It’s related, though…”  
  
Gou blinked, “Huh?”  
  
“I mean,” Nagisa looked down, “Why my uncle isn’t here… it’s related, to what happened to my parents.”  
  
“Nagisa?”  
  
“Sorry,” he shook his head, “Nothing.”  
  
Gou’s eyes widened and she took a step closer.  
  
“I don’t want to think about it,” he admitted, “It scares me.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Gou had her back against the bathroom wall.   
  
Tears were streaming down her face. She had her hand over her mouth, barely covering the sounds that were coming out. She was breathing quickly, hyperventilating. She wanted to puke, but tried to calm herself down.  
  
She was in a bathroom stall, at school.   
  
She was sitting on a toilet that had it’s cover down. She leaned forward and gagged. She kept sobbing and she knew the sound was echoing. She tried to keep quiet, but it was futile. She sobbed and sobbed, and shook her head in a desperate attempt to make it stop. She didn’t want anybody to find her. She wanted nobody to find her.  
  
She wanted nobody to find out.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Nagisa’s eyes widened as his best friend shoved her head against his neck. He felt the wetness of tears and slowly wrapped his arms around her. His left eye twitched as he mentally repeated what she said. He squeezed her close and frowned. “He did… what to you?”  
  
Gou had her arms around his neck as she sobbed. “He… he…” She tried to speak through tears, but it wasn’t coming.  
  
“Shh, it’s okay.” Nagisa knew it was obviously too painful for her to say it twice.   
  
“I don’t… I don’t…” Gou began to shake, “He’ll do it again…”  
  
“How many times has he done it?”  
  
“Th-third… it was his third time,” Gou moved back a little and stared into her best friend’s dark pink eyes, “Sh-should I… tell the police?”  
  
Nagisa remained silent.  
  
“Nagi?”  
  
“I’ll… I’ll take care of it.”  
  
“Huh?” Gou’s eyes widened, “What are you g-gonna do?”  
  
“Leave that to me, okay?” Nagisa smiled, “Don’t worry.”  
  
“Nagi… sa?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Nagisa returned home that night and, for the first time in seven months, he opened the door to his parents room. He felt his hands shake as the memory flashed in his mind. His mother shot in the head, father’s body lifeless… He took a deep breath and took a step in. He felt a tightness in his chest, but he had something he had to do and he was going to do it, regardless of what happened.  
  
He began searching.  
  
He opened a drawer, checked the closet, searched under the bed. He was looking around at every crook he could find and his dark pink eyes narrowed.  
  
“Where did you guys put it?” Nagisa asked himself as he looked around, “I know you had one…”  
  
He’d grown up seeing them.  
  
He always pretended they weren’t there: Life was easier that way. But now, now he needed them.  
  
Guns.  
  
Nagisa’s eyes widened and he smacked himself on the forehead. Of course, how could he forget? “Momma’s jewels,” he rolled his eyes and went to the closet. He looked around for something to step on and he found a large plastic box where she had kept all her shoes. He pulled it out and stepped on it.  
  
He reached to the top part of the closet and stretched as much as he could.   
  
Tapping his fingers on the highest shelf, there was dust, but he felt something solid. Since it was too high up for him to see, he closed his eyes and felt the outline with his finger. There it was. It took some effort, but eventually he managed to bring it down.  
  
He hopped off the box and looked at the mini black briefcase in front of him. Nagisa took the time to dust it off, first; then, he walked over to the bed and placed it down, unhinging it and then he opened it.  
  
Inside were two guns on a pillowed case. They were placed to make a square, like an engagement ring.   
  
Nagisa wasn’t sure which one was his mom’s and which one was his dad’s, but he took one. He looked at it, bright silver, and he gripped the grip. Some part of his mind could feel his parent’s grip on the weapon with his own. It made him smile a bit and he looked down to notice something else.  
  
There was a case of bullets.  
  
“I only need one,” Nagisa whispered. He realised, though, it could never hurt to take more than needed. His dark pink eyes looked at the gun. “I’ll end up in prison for this,” he realised, “Or worse, maybe even dead… Maybe they’ll be nice, since I’m thirteen.”  
  
He closed his eyes.

 

~ ~ ~

 

He didn’t go to school that day.   
  
No, that wasn’t right: He did go, he just didn’t attend class.   
  
Nagisa waited about an hour after the classes had ended for him to enter. Since they had a test several days ago, he assumed his teacher was probably still marking it. Nagisa walked up the stairs and squeezed the hilt of the gun. He swallowed hard as he turned the corner and put his hand on the door. Slowly, he opened it.   
  
His teacher hadn’t noticed him yet.Nagisa took a deep breath and stepped closer.  
  
Hearing the footsteps, his teacher looked up and smiled, “Oh, Nagisa!”  
  
“Shut up,” Nagisa scowled. “You fucking, sick fuck, you…” He raised the gun and aimed it at the man.  
  
“N-Nagisa!” He instantly got out of his chair.  
  
“You think you can violate her just because she’s a kid, because she’s vulnerable?” Nagisa’s eyes narrowed, “You think that means you can shut her up and walk away, so that no one’s going to stop you from doing it again, and again, and again?”  
  
His teacher gasped as he put his back to the windows. He turned his head to look outside, realising it was too high up to jump.  
  
“You’re a fucking perverted sick, twisted rapist, so I’m doing the world a big favour.”  
  
“N-no!”  
  
“No?” Nagisa raised an eyebrow, “Is that what she said?” Without thinking, he pulled the trigger and the gun was oddly silent and Nagisa realised the thing on the end must have been a silencer. He watched as the bullet went right through the man’s shoulder, cracking the window behind him.   
  
His teacher screamed, clutching the wound.  
  
Nagisa fired again.  
  
It went through his stomach.  
  
And Nagisa fired again.  
  
Through his other shoulder. Unable to take it anymore, the man screamed and leaned forward.  
  
Nagisa closed the distance and yanked his teacher’s hair. He pulled his head down and then put the gun against it. His hand suddenly began shaking.  
  
Could he really kill someone?  
  
“You deserve this,” Nagisa reminded himself. “You sick fuck…” He pulled the trigger once, twice, three times, four times and then he pulled the trigger to hear an empty click. He dropped the body on the ground and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw the cracked window in front of him, covered in blood.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Nagisa had gone home instantly. Somehow dodging everyone. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the time or just pure luck, but nobody saw him. He went home, put the gun back in the case and put the case back up where it was. He showered instantly, wanting to get that sick feeling off of him.   
  
He waited at the kitchen table.   
  
He waited for ‘them’ to come.  
  
He wasn’t entirely sure who ‘they’ were, but he knew they were going to come and take him away. Probably the police, he figured, since he realised they were going to put him in jail.   
  
‘They’ didn’t come.  
  
He waited three days, until the story was on the news. It was a small town, word travel fast, and it was the only exciting thing that happened in the past three years. Every newspaper and every local news channel were covering the story. Still, Nagisa knew they would find him eventually. He’d seen enough crime shows to know he would be found. But as time passed, Nagisa realised… he was free.   
  
He had already mentally surrendered, so he wasn’t exactly sure how to move on.  
  
The only thing that came to his mind was to go see his best friend. He knocked on her door and waited patiently. The door opened, but it wasn’t his best friend.  
  
“Hey,” Rin eyed the blond before opening the door. “Gou went to the store, she said she’ll be back soon.”  
  
“Oh,” Nagisa looked down, “Can I come in?”  
  
“Sure,” Rin shrugged and turned around.   
  
Nagisa watched him leave and he entered. He took off his shoes and closed the door behind him. He wasn’t sure what to do so he just sat on the couch in the living room. He saw Rin go into the kitchen and he didn’t say anything. That’s how it always was between the two of them. Rin didn’t care much for Nagisa’s existence, and Nagisa did his best not to get in Rin’s way. He waited for another five minutes until the door opened.  
  
“I’m home,” Gou called out.  
  
“Hey,” Rin stepped out of the kitchen, “Nagisa’s here.”  
  
Gou blinked, instantly putting down the plastic bags and turning to look at him. “N-Nagi!”  
  
Nagisa gave a soft smile, “Hey.”  
  
“Nagi!” she shouted again and practically tackled him onto the couch.  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow as he watched.  
  
“H-hey!” Nagisa chuckled, hugging her tightly. “Hey…”  
  
“Nagi, Nagi…” Gou moved back and cupped the blond’s face, “Tell me the truth, right now, okay? Tell me… was it, was it you? Did you… were you… the one who…?” She remembered her brother was behind her so she didn’t finish her sentence.  
  
Nagisa nodded slowly, “Yeah.”  
  
Gou was both horrified and thankful and she squeezed him tight before moving back, “Let’s go to my room.”  
  
“Okay,” he nodded.  
  
“Hey,” Rin frowned, “Leave the door open.”  
  
Gou chuckled somewhat uncomfortably and looked at him, “We’re not going to do anything bad.”  
  
Rin’s eyes narrowed, “Well, excuse me for understanding a thirteen year old boy’s mindset.”  
  
Nagisa laughed as he got off the couch, giving Gou a knowing smile.   
  
The two of them went to her room and he filled him on the details.

 

~ ~ ~

 

A year and a half passed since the incident. Gou was sitting at Nagisa’s kitchen table, face stern and hands together in her lap. She was looking down and swallowed hard, before looking up to the blond sitting across from her. “Rin lost his job… Well, his first job, the one that pays more. He needs money and there’s no way we’re going to make rent… again… We don’t have anywhere to go and it’s not like we can find a cheaper place soon. We need money…”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes softened as he looked away. Slowly, he stood up and began walking to the counter. “I have some.”  
  
“I can’t take it from you,” Gou sighed. “Plus, it’s not a one-time thing, Nagisa… We need income. I might have to drop out of school, try to find a job. I’ve been feeding off my big brother for too long, anyway.”  
  
“You’re fourteen,” Nagisa looked at her, “You’re too young to have to earn your share of the household.”  
  
“Well what the hell am I supposed to do?”   
  
Nagisa grabbed his wallet on the counter and flipped it open. He took out several purple bills, each one being five thousand yen, which would be fifty dollars, and threw them on the table. “It’s not my money, it’s my uncles. Honestly, he doesn’t even deserve it. He’s…”  
  
Gou swallowed hard and looked up, “He’s?” Nagisa didn’t give her a response and she frowned. “You… mentioned once, your uncle was related to your parents… Did he…?”  
  
“No,” Nagisa sighed, “He’s getting his money from… less than legal things. It’s dirty money, so you can have it.”  
  
Gou took three bills, no more, and frowned. “Still, we’re going to need more.”  
  
“I’ll give more.”  
  
“No,” she frowned, “I’m already asking far too much from you!”  
  
“No you’re not!” Nagisa frowned back, “You… After my parents… You’re the only one who took care of me. If I can help you, in some way, I want to, Gou!”  
  
“But,” Gou slipped the bills in her jacket pocket and put her hands on her lap.   
  
“It’s illegal dirty money, who cares?”  
  
“Well, what if he finds out you’re giving it to me?” Gou looked up slowly, “If he’s into illegal stuff, he might start something with us, or he could stop giving you the money. It’s not exactly safe for you to give it to me, is it?”  
  
Nagisa paused, dark pink eyes looking to the side. “You’re right.” He suddenly hummed and pursed his lips, looking up. “You know… I could always… do illegal stuff, myself.”  
  
Gou’s eyes widened, “Wh-what?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “I have a gun, you know. Two, even.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

It was three weeks later, Nagisa and Gou met up at his place again. The blond was slipping out the bills and counting. “I only took the small notes, I figured your big brother would notice if there was suddenly a lot more money. Plus, I think the police would care less about just a bit of money taken.”  
  
Gou nodded. She felt a tightness in her chest, but she couldn’t resist. She took the bills, counting. “I’ll slip a couple of these into his wallet and the stash of money he keeps in the drawer every week. We’re barely getting by… every bit helps.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Six months passed.  
  
“I want to come too.”  
  
Nagisa looked up, blinking. “Huh?”  
  
“You’re… you’re doing this for me,” Gou looked down, “Right?”  
  
“Well,” Nagisa pursed his lips, looking away, “I am taking some of the money too, I wanna move eventually. I don’t like this place anymore… too many memories, you know? But, yeah… I’m doing this for you.”  
  
“So let me come,” Gou stared right at him. “You have two guns, right?”  
  
“Gou…”  
  
“No,” she shook her head, “Don’t give me that look. I’m serious, Nagisa. It’s not fair. You can’t be the only one putting yourself in danger if I’m also reaping the rewards. You know I’m taking self-defense courses, I can fight hand-to-hand if I lose my gun. I’ll watch your back, I promise.”  
  
Nagisa frowned, “No! Just because you’ve been taking some courses doesn’t automatically mean you can fight! That’s like saying if you watch the cooking channel you’ll become a professional che–” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as a foot slammed into his stomach and he fell on his ass.   
  
“I’m not weak,” Gou whispered.  
  
Nagisa clutched his stomach and whined.   
  
“Two years ago, you shot our homeroom teacher.”  
  
Nagisa paused, looking up slowly. He knew she hadn’t even spoken of it since the incident.  
  
Dark red eyes were staring into dark pink. “I’m never letting that happen to me again. I’m not weak. I know how to fight, Nagisa. I’ve made up my mind—so let me come with you! It’s always been you and me, since we were little… I never had any friends, and everyone picked on you. You’re my best friend, Nagi…”  
  
Nagisa blinked, then nodded. “Okay.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

It was the middle of the night, as Gou stepped silently into her living room. She carefully placed one foot in front of the other, moving towards the drawer at the far side of the room. Grabbing the handles, she pulled it out slowly, making sure it didn’t creak. She reached in her pocket, pulling out her wallet. She pulled out a stack of bills and began counting in the dark.  
  
Lights flicked on.  
  
Gou’s head perked up and she turned around, gasping.  
  
“Sis…”  
  
“O-on-nii-ch-chan!”  
  
Rin sighed, scratching the back of his head. He looked off to the side. “I know we’re not doing so great now… but, you know, if you need money for something you should just ask. I know you’ve been sneaking down here at night. Here,” he said as he stepped forward.  
  
Gou’s eyes widened and she moved the hand holding the stack of bills behind her. “N-no, it’s okay. I don’t need anything.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow and grabbed her arm. He pulled it forward and his red eyes fell on the money. “Holy shit!” Rin looked up at her, “How much did you take? What do you even want to buy with this much?” He looked at the drawer, expecting to see nothing left, but… He paused. It took him a second to understand, but when he did anger flashed his face. “Where did you get this money?”  
  
Gou’s eyes widened and she looked away.  
  
“Gou! Answer me!”  
  
“We…” Gou sighed and closed her eyes, “We’ve been stealing it.”  
  
“Stealing?” Rin’s grip on her arm tightened, “Stealing? Wait! Wait! ‘ _We_ ’?”  
  
Gou pursed her lips, shaking as she realised her position. “Nagisa. Nagisa and I… we’ve been stealing, so we could–”  
  
“Nagisa!” Rin let go of her and turned around. He ran his hands through his red hair and messed it up. “I am so fucking done with you and him! You’re not going to see him anymore, you fucking hear me?” He grunted and turned around. “Get your coat.”  
  
“Huh?” Gou looked up, blinking several times.  
  
“We’re going out,” Rin explained, “We’re going out, and I’m going to get answers, you hear me?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

The last thing Nagisa expected at two in the morning was the doorbell to go off. He was snacking on some popcorn and watching a shitty anime show about cats that could turn into birds to save the world when he heard the doorbell. He looked at the door and got up slowly. He grabbed his gun, stuffing it in his back pocket. It wasn’t normal to get visitors at this time. Either a homeless person or someone wanting revenge, he guessed. He walked to the door, turned the handle, and opened it. “Hello?”  
  
A fist hit his throat.  
  
Nagisa gawked and fell backwards with enough force to flip over and land on his stomach.   
  
“Rin!”  
  
Nagisa scrambled to his feet and reached behind him. As soon as he noticed who it was, he paused. “Rin? Gou? Huh?”  
  
Rin’s red eyes narrowed and he grabbed Nagisa’s shirt, “I want answers!”  
  
Nagisa wasn’t sure if he should be afraid or turned on, but he was definitely both. “Well, you should probably close the door so the whole neighbourhood doesn’t bother us.”  
  
Rin threw Nagisa to the ground and closed the door behind him.  
  
Gou sighed and took a seat at the kitchen table. “Just… tell him everything.”  
  
Rin glanced to his sister before glaring at Nagisa. “I know you’re stealing money, and I want to know everything. Everything.”  
  
Nagisa slowly got to his feet and straightened his shirt. “Okay. From the start?” When he got a nod, he sighed. “Okay… My mom and dad were involved with illegal stuff… activities.”  
  
“Like what?” Rin’s eyes narrowed.  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
“You don’t know?”  
  
“I’d ask them, but they’re dead,” Nagisa looked away before sighing. “Anyway… Growing up, I saw their guns a lot. Strange people kept coming to our house… It wasn’t that hard to put together. I think I always knew, I was just… too scared to really think about it. Anyway, so one day, I had to use their gun…” He suddenly paused, dark pink eyes looking to Gou.  
  
Rin frowned, “Don’t hide anything from me.”  
  
Gou nodded, “Just, tell him everything.”  
  
Nagisa pursed his lips, then looked up at Rin. “You… you remember, couple years ago, our home room teacher was shot several times?”  
  
“Don’t,” Rin’s eyes widened, “Don’t fucking tell me…”  
  
“That was me.”  
  
“You’re a fucking murderer,” Rin’s felt his hands shake and he grabbed Nagisa’s collar. “You’re a fucking murderer!”  
  
Nagisa tried to shove away, “He deserved it!”  
  
“He deserved it!?” Rin’s eyes narrowed, “What kind of excuse is that!?”  
  
“It’s his fault!”  
  
“Shut the fuck up! What did he do!? Give you too much homework!? It’s your fault!”  
  
“It’s not my fault he was raping your sister!”  
  
“Wh…what?” The tension in Rin’s fingers faded, but he kept his grip. “Gou?” He turned his head, looking at his sister.  
  
Gou kept her eyes averted from his. “Nagisa… did the right thing. He deserved it.”   
  
Rin put the blond down slowly and swallowed hard. “Gou…”  
  
“Anyway,” Nagisa looked to the side, knowing Gou didn’t want to talk about it too much, “You lost your job. You two needed money, so Gou and I got the idea of stealing. We targeted assholes at first, like the fucker that fired you.”  
  
Rin’s eyes softened and he just stared at Nagisa.  
  
“We’re pretty good at it now.”  
  
“Yeah,” Gou nodded.  
  
Rin let go of Nagisa’s collar and looked over to his sister again. He walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat.  
  
“Don’t be mad at him,” Gou sighed. “He was doing everything for us…”  
  
“I want to be mad,” Rin admitted, “But… I don’t even know. I’m about to lose this job too. We’re gonna lose our place if we can’t pay rent… we have nowhere to go.”  
  
“But,” Gou looked up, “We _can_ pay rent.”  
  
“What?” Rin blinked.  
  
“I’ve only been putting bits of money at a time,” Gou sighed, “I didn’t want you to find out. But I have more. We can pay off last month and this month. We don’t… we don’t have to worry anymore.”  
  
“Hmm,” Nagisa tilted his head and suddenly gave a sly smile, “You know, Rin-chan…”  
  
“Rin-chan?” Rin’s eye twitched.  
  
Nagisa chuckled, “We could always use a third person.”  
  
“What?” Rin blinked.  
  
Gou looked at him, “What?”  
  
“That’s what they say, right?” Nagisa let his toes dance on the kitchen floor, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?”  
  
Rin looked at Gou and sighed, “Well no one really says that anymore, but…”  
  
“He’s right,” Gou smiled softly.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Within a year, three members grew to four members, four grew to five, five grew to six, and the six of them were sitting around a campfire, watching it burn. There were actually some records they needed to dispose of underneath the firewood, but it was more fun this way; Nagisa’s idea of course.   
  
The was leaning on Rin, who had his arm hooked around Nagisa’s waist. Their relationship had turned quite positive when Rin found out Nagisa was more likely to go for him than his sister. The blond chuckled and looked around, “I’m proud of all of you, and you’re all gonna get bonuses. And kisses, if you want, that is.”  
  
Rin snorted as he took another drag of his cigarette. He blew out and looked over to the side, “Hey, boss, think we should give ourselves a name?”  
  
“Probably,” one of the juniors said.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Nagisa thought about it, then nodded. “Iwatobi.”  
  
“Huh?” Gou tilted her head, “Penguin?”  
  
Rin moved away from the blond so he could stare at him. “Seriously?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded and turned to face the redhead, “It’s my favouritest animal ever!”  
  
“That’s a stupid fucking name! That’s–” Rin was unable to finish his sentence as a gun was shoved in his mouth. The taste of metal permeated on his tongue and his eyes went wide.   
  
Nagisa suddenly gasped, “My finger might slip, Rin-chan!”  
  
Rin froze where he was.  
  
Nagisa chuckled when he pulled the gun out of his mouth. “Iwatobi.”  
  
Rin nodded slowly, “Iwatobi it is.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Gou!”  
  
“Kou!”  
  
“Gou!”  
  
“Kou!”  
  
“Gou!”  
  
“Kou!”  
  
“Gou!”  
  
“God fucking damnit, Nagisa!” She yanked his hair and threw him to the ground. “It’s,” she raised her foot, “Kou!” She slammed her foot into his stomach.  
  
“G-Gou,” Nagisa managed to breathe out through his coughing fit.   
  
“Kou!”  
  
“Gou!”  
  
“Kou!  
  
“Gou!”  
  
Gou pulled out her gun and fired.  
  
“Owww!” Nagisa clutched his bleeding shoulder, “Gou! I mean! I mean, Kou! Fine! Kou! You win!”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Nagisa,” Kou whispered as they stood together on the deserted sidewalk. It was night and the air was chilly, so much so that she could see her breath. “I don’t like this.”  
  
“It’s fine,” he chuckled, “They won’t hurt me.”  
  
“We don’t know these people,” Kou looked down, “And you want to walk in by yourself? You’re fucking insane!”  
  
“Yeup,” Nagisa nodded, “I’ve got a plan, don’t worry.”  
  
“Nagisa!”  
  
Nagisa just chuckled. His laughter died off as a limousine pulled up in front of them. He watched as someone opened the door and stared at them.  
  
The man cleared his throat. “We’re only picking up one.”  
  
“Yep,” Nagisa nodded and stepped forward. “She was just keeping me company, nice of her, no?” He moved into the car.  
  
“Yes,” he answered and closed the door.  
  
Nagisa looked around the inside of the limo and decided he wanted one. He made himself comfortable and checked his phone, making note of the time. The car drove off and he looked at the men in the car with him. They all had suits and black sunglasses. He looked out the window and shrugged. It took some time, but the car eventually made it to its destination. He checked his phone again and decided to not to keep anyone waiting.  
  
After some stairs, he entered a remote building and was guided into the lounge area.   
  
There were two large sofas with a slim but long glass table in between. There were two people on the sofa, one male, one female, and one of them instantly stood up.  
  
“N-Nagisa!”  
  
Nagisa stepped forward and took a seat on the sofa across from them, “It’s been a while, Goro-chan!”  
  
The lady blinked in surprise and turned to the man, “You know him?”  
  
Goro Sasabe sat down slowly and nodded. “He’s my… nephew. He’s the son of the Hazukis, who were assassinated three years ago.”  
  
“Oh, I see the resemblance.” She looked at him and cleared her throat, “As the author Neil Gaiman once said, ‘It is a small world. You do not have to live in it particularly long to learn that for yourself’.”  
  
Nagisa didn’t let his surprise show as he tilted his head, “You knew my parents?”  
  
“Yes, they were the one who taught me the ropes, actually.” She offered a small smile, “I’m Miho Amakata, pleasure to meet you.”  
  
“Nagisa Hazuki,” he smiled in return. _I know her name, which means they have enough reason to dispose of me if they don’t like me._ “Pleasure’s mine, miss.”  
  
Goro was still somewhat in shock.  
  
Miho cleared her throat and slowly crossed her legs. “Let’s get down to business then. Your little penguin club is getting a name for itself, you know? Very quickly.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Apparently, yeah. Not many groups out here in butt-fuck-nowhere-land, so it’s easy to get rep.”  
  
“That’s one of the reasons, yes,” she kept her fake smile up, “May I ask what the goal of your organisation is, Nagisa?”  
  
Goro gave him a look that said ‘don’t fuck this up, kid’.  
  
“Hmmm,” Nagisa chuckled, “To be honest, miss, we don’t really have one.”  
  
Goro closed his eyes and silently sighed.  
  
Miho frowned pursed her lips. “Can I ask what our goal is? Why are you, just you, doing all of this?”  
  
“Um, I guess, I just want to have fun.”  
  
Both Goro and Miho blinked, “Fun?”  
  
“Haha,” Nagisa grinned, “Yep. It’s fun. I mean, I’m supposed to be in school for so many hours every day, but I get to do this instead.” He leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs, putting his hands over his higher knee. “It’s fun. The only thing I have to worry about is making sure my guys get paid, which only takes a couple jobs a month. Not to mention, there are benefits. I mean I’m only sixteen, and I can pretty much go to any club I want.”  
  
“I see,” Miho tilted her head slightly. “You have to understand… we, the Yakuza, have taken interest in you, Nagisa.”  
  
“Mhm. Yep. That’s why I’m here.”  
  
“Aren’t you worried?”  
  
“Not really.”  
  
Goro frowned.  
  
“Don’t get me wrong,” Nagisa said quickly, “I know the Yakuza isn’t something to fuck with—I have no intention of hiding anything from you or pissing you guys off.”  
  
“Smart move,” Goro scratched his chin, “But don’t you think it’s stupid not to be afraid of us messing with you?”  
  
Nagisa looked up for a moment and smiled, before his eyes looked back at the two of them. “I’ll admit, I don’t know anything about you guys. Everything I do know is either general knowledge or what I’ve heard from other gangs or at clubs. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure you guys don’t waste your time on little brats running around. You keep yourself at the highest in the crime world by kicking anyone who tries to climb up, right? Well, Iwatobi has no intention of growing, Miss Ama-chan.”  
  
Miho blinked at the new nickname, but didn’t mind it.  
  
Nagisa kept going; “We’re just a small time crime group—seven people—that likes to play around a bit. The reason we’re getting rep is because we do the jobs we get properly, and we shoot any of our operatives who don’t take it seriously. Like I said, I find it fun, but it’s also life and death.”  
  
Goro stayed silent and looked at the lady besides him.  
  
Miho moved some brown hair out of her eyes and nodded. “That’s true enough. There aren’t many groups out where you are, and even then they are mostly unruly, something we need to squash.”  
  
“Oh?” Nagisa grinned, “Would you like assistance?”  
  
In unison, Miho and Goro raised their eyebrows.  
  
“The Yakuza doesn’t have many operatives in this part of the country, or so that’s what the word is on the street. And it makes sense… it’s just shitty agriculture land after all. All we have are sand dunes. If you need something done in the area, I’m sure we could negotiate.”  
  
Miho paused for a moment before smiling. “You are a smooth talker, Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa chuckled, “As gorgeous as you are, Miss, I prefer men.”  
  
Miho chuckled as well and tilted her head. “So, then, what do you prepose?”  
  
“You tell us what you need taken care of, and we’ll do it.”  
  
“And what would you like in exchange?”  
  
Nagisa looked to the side, noticing the bodyguards. He did a quick bodycount and looked back at her. “I’m pretty sure, right now, there are at least nine guns ready to fire at me if they get the order. I know my position, Miss Ama-chan. I’m just a worm compared to the real deal. We work for you, you don’t kill us. If our results are less than satisfactory, you have my permission to eliminate us—Not that you would need it, but maybe that can help you have a little more fun while you do it.”  
  
Miho blinked and glanced to Goro.  
  
Goro just sighed, “He really is the spitting image of his parents.”  
  
Miho nodded and turned to him. “You’re a smart one, Nagisa… I fear you are a little too smart. We crush those that are like that.”  
  
Goro made a stern face.  
  
Nagisa noted his uncle wasn’t going to step in. He needed to think of something. Fast. “A smart dog is still just a pet, though.”  
  
Goro frowned, “You sound like you’re surrendering yourself to us.”  
  
“I know my options,” Nagisa nodded politely, “I know I’m surrounded, I know we’re at least a two hour drive away from my city. I know I’m probably being recorded. I know, even if I leave this place alive, my life isn’t guaranteed. I am completely aware of what danger I’m in. If you would like, I shall provide you the dossier files of our members, so that you may hunt them down and torture them if you think I am keeping anything from you. You can be updated of our inventory, activity, funds, headquarters, whatever you want. We will be transparent with you, if that’s what it takes to survive.”  
  
“You’re dangerous, Nagisa,” Miho felt a chill run down her spine.  
  
“Just like my sister,” Goro pursed his lips.  
  
Miho gave him a nod.  
  
“I’m not dangerous,” Nagisa grinned, “I just wanna have fun. I can’t do that if I’m dead, can I?”  
  
“No,” she agreed, “I suppose not. Goro?”  
  
Goro scratched his chin, “He’s scary, that’s for sure… but he knows his place.”  
  
“Hmm,” Miho looked down. “Still, I don’t think…”  
  
There was a beep.  
  
Nagisa blinked.  
  
Miho looked up, staring at Nagisa. With her left hand, she moved her brown hair behind her left ear, revealing some sort of earpiece. It beeped again and she clicked a button, “I understand.” She let her hair fall, covering it, and offered a smile. “Our higher ups want to give you a chance. Be thankful, because I wasn’t going to.”  
  
Nagisa grinned, “That’s a relief. To be honest, I almost pissed my pants.”  
  
Goro rolled his eyes, “He’s still Nagisa.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

A year had passed and the three of them were standing in an empty room. Rin nodded to himself as he looked around, “This is kind of a sweet place. Closer to us, closer the headquarters, just overall better I think.”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa nodded. “I’m… kinda sad I’m moving, but that house is just too big for one person to walk around alone. This is kind of cute apartment, decent size, you know? Small enough that I can feel cozy and at home, but big enough to host an orgy.”  
  
Kou just sighed.  
  
Rin snickered, “Just be sure to invite me, okay?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Ho!”  
  
Rei gawked and suddenly stepped back. He turned his head and saw a short blond boy.  
  
“You’re my new neighbour!”  
  
“Oh,” Rei nodded, “Hello. Rei Ryugazaki. I’d offer my hand, but they’re full.”  
  
“That’s fine!” The blond spun in a circle happily, “I’m Nagisa! If you need anything, even illegal goods, just come talk to me okay!”  
  
“Okay…” Rei blinked twice before nodding slowly.

 

~ ~ ~

 

The manager tried hiding in one of the aisles and came face to face with Rei.  
  
Rei acted. He didn’t think why, but he did. He whirled the broom and smacked the side of the manager’s head, knocking him out and sending him to the ground, then stepped on the back of his neck to hold him where he was.  
  
“Huh? Rei?”  
  
Rei looked up to see Nagisa confused.  
  
Nagisa aimed the gun at him and tilted his head, “Um… why are you helping me? I mean I know I let you use my shower that one time when your pipes broke but…”  
  
Soon after, Rin appeared next to Nagisa and aimed the assault rifle at Rei. “Know him?”  
  
“Yeah,” Nagisa giggled, “My neighbour.”  
  
“You,” Rei spoke firmly, “You guys, you want to kill witnesses, right? I’m here, at the scene of the crime. You won’t let me walk away, even though he’s your target. I stopped him, he’s yours. In exchange, I walk free. I won’t tell the media or the police anything. I really don’t give a shit about any of this.”  
  
“Geez, he’s ruthless…” Rin turned his head, “I kinda like him.”  
  
“I’m glad I can please somebody,” Rei muttered under his breath.  
  
Nagisa lowered his handgun and chuckled. “There’s a higher reward for getting this guy alive, you saved us having to put a bullet in him. You know, I kinda like you Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei’s left eye twitched, “Chan?”  
  
Rin sighed, “He does it to everybody…”  
  
“I see,” Rei looked down, then back up.  
  
Nagisa cackled wildly then put his hands to his mouth, “You know Rei-chan! We could always use someone like you. With this guy dead, you’re kinda out of a job right now aren’t you? And I mean, we’ll pay more than minimum wage. There’s risk of death, but come on, that’s what makes life interesting, right?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Stars are so pretty,” Nagisa said softly. “I wonder what it would be like to see them all up close.”  
  
“Actually,” Rei adjusted his glasses softly, “These stars have probably all faded away.”  
  
“Huh?” Nagisa blinked.  
  
“These stars are light years away. A light year is literally the distance the speed of light travels in a year. What we’re looking at is light from years and years ago,” Rei smiled, “In a sense… we’re looking into the past. It’s beautiful, really.”  
  
Nagisa looked up again, looking at each star and pouting. “But, does that mean they’re all gone?”  
  
Rei chuckled, “Possibly. But when a star dies, it bursts into a nebula, and the stardust is thrown everywhere. The dust clumps together and forms new stars, and that’s why we’ll never run out of stars.”  
  
“Ohh,” Nagisa smiled, “You know what, Rei-chan? You’re not as lame as I thought, I like you. You’re funny and smart and you’re actually pretty good company.”  
  
“Thank you,” Rei felt his cheeks warm as he chuckled. “Hey… Nagisa….?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Would you say…. we’re friends?”  
  
Nagisa blinked. He wanted to laugh at first, but he realised the question was serious. Giving a smile, he nodded. “Of course Rei-chan!”  
  
Rei chuckled, looking away, “Thank you.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Haruka.”  
  
Haruka ran a hand through his wet hair as he stepped into the change room. “Yeah?”  
  
His boss grinned, “I don’t know if you know ‘em, but there’s a group of usuals who got a lot of money. They’re renting one of the private pools upstairs, they say they want you. Specifically you. Consider the rest of your day booked.”  
  
“Which pool?” Haruka asked automatically.  
  
“Third one, don’t fuck it up.”  
“I won’t,” he answered honestly. Instead of drying off, he moved his head from side to side to side, swishing his hair in a signature move, before heading over to the stairs.  
  
The upstairs of the strip club had pools of all sizes for little mini parties. Generally, people could only rent for an hour or two, since the price went up exponentially as time passed, but inviting the swimmer strippers was free of charge. Considering what could happen, it didn’t take much time for guys to make use of the private rooms with the strippers, so it all worked out.  
  
Haruka wondered who these people were, though. His boss said the rest of his day was booked, which was three hours, maybe a little more. Whoever they were, they were big shots, or something to that effect. He walked to the the private room labelled ‘3’ and opened the door slowly.  
  
The third room had a fairly small pool compared to the others. The limit was four people, and considering there were already three people inside, Haruka assumed he was the fourth. When he looked inside though, he noticed he recognised them.  
  
There were two usuals.  
  
One was short, had blond hair, and distinguishing pink eyes, cute looks. The other had red hair and red eyes, but there was something sexy about him that made Haruka remember who he was. The third person had blue hair and had red glasses. He had seen the third person before, but each time he looked like he was dragged by force to the club.  
  
The pool was in the shape of a circle. The blond was sitting in the middle, facing the door and facing Haruka, with the redhead and blue haired men on either side.  
  
“You called for me specifically?”  
  
“Yeah,” the redhead grinned, “Join the party.”  
  
Haruka nodded. He closed the door behind him and stepped towards the pool.  
  
“No!” the shorter blond said with a mock frown, “You have to get naked like the rest of us.”  
  
Haruka didn’t think twice before stepping out of his swimsuit and tossing it to the side. He dipped into the pool and took a seat on the underwater bench.  
  
The redhead chuckled, “That was easier than I thought it would be.”  
  
“I prefer being naked,” he admitted.  
  
“So, cutie, got a name?”  
  
“Haruka.”  
  
“I’m Rin,” the redhead said.  
  
“Nagisa!” the blond shouted with an exasperated voice.  
  
“Rei…” the last one said, blinking at Nagisa. “Why do you look so surprised?”  
  
“He has a girly name but has a flippy-floppy, just like us!”  
  
“Flippy-floppy?” Rei blinked, frowning when he didn’t understand the word.  
  
“Penis,” Rin rolled his eyes as he had to explain it.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Haru,” Rin glanced over to him and frowned, “Give us your schedule, will you?”  
  
“Sure,” he suddenly frowned, “Why?”  
  
“No reason,” Rin shrugged.  
  
Haruka looked at Nagisa, who avoided eye contact, then looked to Rei. “If it’s a secret, I’ll keep it.”  
  
“I suppose we could tell him,” Rei sighed. “Well, your boss is being a little rowdy as well, and we may have to raid the place to remind him his place. We want to make sure you’re not here… We don’t want you to be caught in the gunfire.”  
  
Haruka only blinked once then nodded. “Cool.”  
  
“Way too fucking chill,” Rin shook his head.  
  
“But that’s why we like him,” Nagisa grinned.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Rei blinked, “Haruka? I uh, yes, yes I will be fine. I’ve had worse, don’t worry.”  
  
Haruka nodded.  
  
Rin just tilted his head in confusion, “Um… yo, what are you doing here?”  
  
“I had to sub’ for a sick dancer.”  
  
“You had to sub?” Rin frowned, “Why did you have to do that?”  
  
“He means substitute,” Rei cleared his throat, “Not Dom and sub.”  
  
“Oh!” Rin suddenly realised how stupid he sounded and then changed the subject, “But anyway, what I meant to say was what are you doing up here? Wait—Wait a fucking sec, you’re not the one who was giving us support fire, were you?”  
  
Haruka just gave a nod.  
  
Nagisa blinked, pausing for a moment before he decided he wasn’t going to deal with it right now. “Well, okay, whatever. We can figure this out later, first I gotta kill your boss.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“It’s me,” he said before he opened the door to his mother’s office.  
  
Lady Grey had a pistol in her hand, aiming it at the door. She cocked her head to the side, motioning to the chair.  
  
Nodding, Nitori instantly took the seat and moved the chair against the wall, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. The constant sounds of screams and gunshots got louder and louder and Nitori closed his eyes, trying to forget about what was happening.  
  
Soon enough, there was silence.  
  
Nitori looked up, “Mom? Is it, over?”  
  
“No,” she sighed, “It just means they’re coming for us now.”  
  
Nitori nodded, looking to the door. He sighed, hearing footsteps come closer.  
  
Eventually the door opened and a redhead stepped in, following was someone with black hair with a blue tint.  
  
Lady Grey aimed her gun at the redhead, raising an eyebrow. “Who are you?”  
  
Rin gave a little snicker, “Well, we’re from Iwatobi.”  
  
“I see,” she blinked her eyes, not caring. “The little penguin club, yes I know.”  
  
“We want things to go peacefully,” Rin’s eyes narrowed, “But you’ve seriously started fucking with us.”  
  
Lady Grey only chuckled, “If either of you make one move, I’ll shoot you. Get out; I don’t have time for small little groups run by some kid.”  
  
Rin sighed, walking to the side of the room. “Okay, okay, but we just want you to know one thing.” He offered a smile and looked to the side, “Haru?”  
  
Haruka looked at the woman before letting out a string of high and squeaky dolphin-like noises.  
  
Lady Grey blinked twice, “What?”  
  
Rin snickered, pulling his pistol and firing. The bullet flew through the air going straight through her head. “Well,” Rin nodded, “That went well.”  
  
Haruka looked at the dead body in front of them, not saying anything else.  
  
Rin raised his gun at the teenage boy, “Bye.”  
  
“Wait!” Nitori threw his hands in the air, “Please don’t!”  
  
Rin sighed, “Gimme a reason.”  
  
“I-I, um, didn’t do anything wrong?”  
  
Haruka looked at Nitori, then to Lady Grey. “You’re her kid, right?”  
  
“Y-yeah.”  
  
Rin raised an eyebrow, glancing to Haruka. “What of it?”  
  
“I’ve got an idea,” Haruka stated simply.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Haruka-senpai!” Nitori opened the door of the senior lounge without knocking. Luckily, there were only two senior members in the lounge.  
  
Rei looked up from his laptop.  
  
“What?” Haruka muttered in monotone as he shoved a spoonful of yoghurt in his mouth.  
Swallowing hard, Nitori stepped in and rubbed his arm. “There’s been talk of… traitors, in Iwatobi.”  
  
Haruka swallowed another spoonful and looked at Rei.  
  
“Give me their names,” Rei began, but paused, “No. Write them down.”  
  
Nitori stepped towards the desk and grabbed a pencil and began writing on the notepad. “They spoke to me, asking me to join… they thought, since Matsuoka-san shot my mom, I’d want to be a part of them. I said yes to gain more information, so I could give it to you guys. There’s four of them,” he said as he pushed the notepad forward.  
  
Rei looked at the names and nodded. “That means they think they have five, in an organisation of thirteen. They would probably think their odds are pretty good. They could be making a move some time soon.” He muttered something else before turning back to his laptop, typing away at something.  
  
“Nitori.”  
  
Nitori winced and looked over, “Y-yes Senpai?”  
  
Haruka threw out his yoghurt and plastic spoon before turning back to the grey haired teen. “Thank you.”  
  
“H-huh?” Nitori’s cheeks flushed.  
  
“I did the right thing,” he muttered, “Bringing you in, I mean.”  
  
Nitori felt his heart flutter and he couldn’t hide the biggest, dorkiest, goofiest smile from forming on his lips. “Th-thank you Senpai!” he shouted as he bowed.  
  
“Haruka.”  
  
“Haruka-senpai!”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Makoto hummed happily as he turned the knob of the sink and placed his hand under running water. Rubbing his hands together, he looked up the mirror and smiled at himself. Glancing to the side, he pushed on the soap dispenser and then rubbed the soap over his hands, letting it to turn into a white foamy covering before he placed his hands under water once again.  
  
Turning the knob the other way, he stopped the running water. He spun in a semicircle and grabbed a smaller towel. Drying his hands with it, he placed it back and continued to happily hum a tune stuck in his head. He pondered what it was but he couldn’t remember which song. Probably something he heard on the radio.  
  
Not thinking much of it, he grabbed the door handle and opened the door. The first thing he noticed was that there was someone else in his room and he offered a smile, “Hello, how can I help…” Makoto noticed the gun, “… you…?”  
  
“Stay, silent,” Rin hissed. “You’re going to come with me. One wrong move, one sound, and I shoot. Do you understand me?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Contrary to what Makoto had initially believed, being tied up wasn’t half as scary as he thought it would be. The ropes were tight, but not painfully so, and the chair he was tied to was pretty comfy too. He was in the centre of a dark room, with only one light hanging above him. A certain blond was taking pictures with him, like a tourist would around an important landmark. It had been going on for almost twenty minutes before he suddenly felt weight on his lap.  
  
“Selfie!” Nagisa shouted as he clicked a button and took a picture of them with his phone. Looking at the picture, he smiled. It was a perfect angle of his gun being pointed at Makoto’s face while he himself was donning the cutest expression he could muster. “I think this one’s my favourite so far, Mako-chan!”  
  
Makoto gave a little nod, not really sure what he was supposed to say at this point.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Eventually, Nagisa moved away and gave a little chuckle. “Mako-chan, I thought we were supposed to be finding out about each other; that’s not how you ask a question!”  
  
Cheeks flushed, Makoto stuttered slightly as he spoke, “Uh, a-actions speak louder than words?”  
  
Nagisa smiled and thought about it, “I guess that’s true. I learned from the kiss that Mako-chan’s adorable.”  
  
“And I learned from the kiss that Nagisa’s an amazing kisser.”  
  
Nagisa laughed and smooched Makoto’s lips lightly. “You always know exactly what to say!” He suddenly leaned in, pressing their mouths together again.  
  
Makoto pulled Nagisa closer and closed his eyes, moaning into the kiss. He felt Nagisa open his mouth and he did the same. Tentatively, he moved his tongue forward and his cheeks burned when he felt another tongue against his.  
  
Nagisa was far too focused on the kiss to even think about anything else. Eyes snapped shut, he moved his arms up, moving them around Makoto’s neck so he could pull himself up, bringing them just that much closer to each other in the kiss. He moved his tongue against Makoto’s and made another little noise in the kiss, feeling no shame for it. He moved his tongue slowly, knowing the kiss was less about sensation as it was about something else that made his heart beat just a little quicker.  
  
Makoto eventually broke the kiss and took a large gasp of air.  
  
“Forgot to breathe?” Nagisa teased with eyes closed, lips only millimetres apart. He could feel Makoto’s warm breath, and how it tingled against his wet lips.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Nagisa felt his cheeks warm. He was about to say something, but a huge explosion of lights distracted him. He clapped his hands excitedly as the fireworks started going off. “Oh Mako-chan, look a smiley face!” He shouted, pointing things out, and watched the display happily.  
  
Makoto watched as well, but his eyes looked down. He watched Nagisa, in his moment of wonder and awe, and couldn’t help but smile.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Makoto was on his back and felt something warm next to him; no, it wasn’t _just_ warm… it was comforting and soft, and he moved his head forward, nuzzling it, nuzzling the soft strands of blond hair. His arms were wrapped around it and he took in the scent. Everything in his mind just clicked: Nagisa, it was Nagisa. He slowly opened his green eyes, instantly blinking as sunshine blinded him. Eventually, he managed to open his eyes, and saw Nagisa leaning on his chest, face smooshed against the area where his neck met shoulder.  
  
Makoto smiled, recalling last night, and he kissed Nagisa’s forehead.  
  
Nagisa instantly grinned. Peaking one dark pink eye open, he chuckled. “Mornin’, Mako-chaan.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“This is fun,” Nagisa grinned, “Oh no, little Mako-chan who can’t hurt a fly has to choose between who lives and who dies… isn’t that kind of ironic?”  
  
“Don’t talk,” Makoto said without strength in his voice.  
  
“Shoot me.” Nagisa’s smile faded, “Shoot me, or I’ll shoot you.”  
  
“Don’t,” Makoto’s eyes watered. His hands began shaking, grip on the gun becoming numb. His chest tightened, his breath quickened… “Don’t do this to me.” His finger curled around the trigger curled around the trigger.  
  
“I’ll be extra nice!” Nagisa said with a serious face, “I’ll give you five more seconds, or boom-boom, no more Mako-chan! Okay? Five…”  
  
“Nagisa,” he said in disbelief.  
  
“Four…”  
  
“Please, please don’t!”  
  
“Three…”  
  
“Nagisa!”  
  
“Two…”  
  
“I can’t do it!”  
  
“One…”  
  
“I love-” Makoto was cut off by a gunshot. A bullet whizzed by him and he opened his eyes. Something behind him (a window?) shattered and he felt his heart stop. For a moment, he thought he was dead, then he realised just his vision was blurry and something was running down his face. He rubbed his eyes, wiping his tears on his sleeve and looked up to see the most disappointed look on Nagisa’s face.  
  
Nagisa just sighed.  
  
“I can’t… I can’t shoot you, I can’t do it! I… I love you, Nagisa.”  
  
“Stupid Mako-chan,” Nagisa frowned, “You love me, so good for you.”  
  
“But,” Makoto blinked, “You said, you love me back.”  
  
“Sure, I guess I do… but, come on, let’s be serious. You didn’t really think we could have a future together, did you?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Look at me, look at who I am,” Nagisa frowned, “I’m the head of Iwatobi, a bloody and ruthless organised-crime enterprise. I told you, didn’t I? That one day I’m going to die; that one day, I’m gonna get punished for all the stupid shit I pull on people. I don’t have a future, Makoto. I won’t make you happy,” he moved the gun and aimed it at Yamato. “Your uncle here, he cares about you. So right now, you’re going to make the right choice for you, okay?”  
  
Makoto shook his head, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it… I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it! I… I… love you, so much… your dorky smile, and stupid jokes, and your nipples that can cut diamonds…”  
  
Yamato blinked.  
  
“And, I just…”  
  
“Shut it,” Nagisa sighed, “Just do it, Makoto.”  
  
“No!”  
  
“Shoot me!”  
  
“No!” Makoto shouted. Unable to take it anymore, his knees gave out and he crashed to the ground, sobbing. “Shoot me instead, please… I can’t do it.”  
  
“Makoto… this is how I want to go.”  
  
“No,” Makoto shook his head.  
  
“I’m deciding my own death,” Nagisa chuckled, “Whether you like it or not, Mako-chan.”  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened and he looked up.  
  
Nagisa moved the gun and pushed the barrel against the side of his head. “You can’t deny, that everything I’ve done comes down to this…”  
  
“Nagisa!” Haruka shouted in disbelief.  
  
Makoto got to his feet and aimed his gun at Nagisa. “If, if you shoot yourself—I’ll shoot you!”  
  
“Oh, Mako-chan,” Nagisa closed his eyes for a final time, chuckling with a big smile.  
  
“Please,” Makoto begged for the last time.  
  
“Bye-bye.”  
  
After a gunshot, a small burst of blood hit his face.  
  
Green eyes widened in terror.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Dark pink eyes opened. His finger hooking the trigger stilled. He felt a small burst of blood hit his face. Standing in front of him was Makoto, and to the side was Haruka clutching his gunshot wound. Something hit the floor next to him and he looked over. A corpse. It took Nagisa a second to register what had just happened, but when he did, his eyes moved to Makoto again. “Why did… you?”  
  
Makoto held the gun firmly, pointing it at Nagisa. “Put. The. Gun. _Down_.”  
  
Nagisa aimed the gun away from his head, unhooking the trigger. He dropped the gun, letting it hit the floor and bounce once. He didn’t watch the pistol as it clattered. His dark pink eyes were fixated firmly on green eyes. “M-Makoto… why?”  
  
Haruka coughed once and looked up.  
  
Makoto dropped the gun in his hand, not caring as it hit the ground. He looked to the side and felt an unnatural numbness as opposed to any other emotion.  
  
The corpse of Yamato Tachibana was on the ground.  
  
And the splash of Yamato’s blood was on Nagisa’s face.  
  
“Haru,” Makoto looked at Nagisa as he spoke, “Tell the team we’re ready to leave, and that you’re wounded. We’ll explain everything later.”  
  
Haruka nodded once and put his finger against the earpiece.   
  
Nagisa looked at Yamato, killed by Makoto, and felt his knees shake.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Eventually, the members of Iwatobi made it to the car parked about a kilometer away. It looked like a normal black car, slightly longer, and everyone got in as instructed. It was far bigger inside, and it had cushioned seats like a limousine, shaped in a ‘U’. Rei was driving, Haruka joined him in the front seat. In the back, Rin, Kou, and Nitori sat cramped together at the base of the ‘U’.  
  
Nobody said anything and the silence only made the air heavier with tension.  
  
Finally, after almost half an hour of nothing but the light hum of the car’s engine, he took a deep breath. “Mako—”  
  
“—Shut up,” Makoto’s eyes narrowed at the person sitting across from him, “Shut the fuck up.”  
  
“I—”  
  
“Shut it.”  
  
Nagisa’s dark pink eyes widened, and he stared at Makoto for a while, but he eventually just nodded… Only one thought crossed his mind, though: Where were they supposed to go from there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update, Part 16, will be the final Part of Sex, Lies, and Guns! Don't worry, though—there will be an epilogue!


	21. Part 16: Chosen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The _final_ chapter! Well... sort of, XD. It's the last Part, but there will be an epilogue!

There were hard thrusts, each one shaking the four legs of the bed.   
  
The two of them were on fire as they moved through the cold night. Deep pants, loud moans, heavy pleads for more, needy calls of each other’s name. Blissful sex tasting of passion, but laced with hate and anger, and rage. Makoto moved mercilessly and Nagisa cried out; it hurt, but it hurt so damn _good_ ; the pain that reminded someone they were alive, and mixed with it was the pleasure that Nagisa feared he would become addicted to.  
  
Nagisa came and his thighs quivered; he cried out his boyfriend’s name shamelessly and struggled to catch his breath as the corner of his eyes watered.  
  
Makoto spilled himself inside the blond and hissed. His shaky breathing began to calm.  
  
Both of them covered in a light sheen of sweat, all the more alive under the light of the moon, both trying to breathe.   
  
They were both shaking, shivering.  
  
Silence overtook them.  
  
Makoto eventually swallowed hard and brought a hand up, wiping the tears away from the corner of his eyes. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t too rough, was I?”  
  
“N-no,” Nagisa forced himself to speak. There had been no real communicating since the death of Yamato. They were just dropped off at Nagisa’s place, and silence had made itself permanent. Still, Nagisa was surprised at how Makoto was so angry but so considerate. “You were fine,” he admitted. “Thanks…”  
  
Makoto nodded slowly and moved his hips back, pulling out of Nagisa. There was a soft moan as he moved over. He crashed next to Nagisa and turned onto his side, so his back was to the blond.  
  
Nagisa opened his mouth to say something, but paused. There was too little light to make out every detail, but seeing Makoto’s back made Nagisa’s throat tighten. He tried to force himself to speak, but the silence won again. He turned over, so his back was facing Makoto’s back and pulled the covers over himself. He bundled some of it up and hugged it close to his chest. He closed his eyes and nudged just a little closer to Makoto, so their backs touched.  
  
Makoto’s back instantly seized, tightening up, but slowly he relaxed.   
  
Nagisa squished his eyes closed and pushed his face into the bedsheets.  
  
Makoto was so angry, and yet he was so considerate.  
  
Unlike Nagisa.  
  
 _When will you get it?_ Nagisa sighed, _i don’t deserve you, Mako-chan…_  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
“Coming!” a voice called from inside.  
  
Two police officers waited outside the residence. When the door opened, they kept their faces stern and cleared their throats. One of them spoke up, “Is a Makoto Tachibana here?”  
  
The boy who opened the door looked up at them and nodded, “Yes sir… One sec,” he turned around, “Makoto!”  
  
From inside, a voice called back; “Yeah?”  
  
“Um, some police people are here to see you.”  
  
“Huh?” Makoto made his way to the door and looked between the two of them. “Oh, hi… is, is something wrong?”  
  
The police officers looked at each other; and, by some non-verbal communication, one of them nodded before speaking. “Where were you last night, Makoto Tachibana?”  
  
“Here,” he blinked, “With Nagisa.”  
  
“That’s me,” the blond raised his hand.   
  
“I see,” the police officer nodded before taking off his cap, “I regret to inform you… that your uncle is dead. And,”  
  
“Wait,” Makoto interrupted, “Wait, what?”  
  
The second police officer frowned, realising his partner wasn’t sensitive enough. “I am… sorry for your loss. He was found at his villa, shot. I know this is bad timing, and I must be pouring salt on the new wound, but you are our only suspect at this time.”  
  
“A suspect?” Makoto repeated and then looked to Nagisa.   
  
“You seem to have an alibi, though, I am sorry but we’re going to have to keep in contact with you.”  
  
“Wait,” the first police officer pointed at Nagisa, “You, what’s that?”  
  
Nagisa blinked and realised the man was pointing at his neck, “Mako-chan what is it? I can’t see.”  
  
“Bruises,” the police officer said with a frown.  
  
Next to the four of them, a door opened and a young man stepped out. He seemed confused as four people suddenly looked at him. He recognised they were police instantly and blinked, “Is there anything I can help with, Officers?”  
  
“You are their neighbour?”  
  
“Rei Ryugazaki,” he nodded, “I live next door to Nagisa, yes.”  
  
“Can you confirm these two were here last night?”  
  
“Yes, all night,” he frowned, “I had to knock on their door because they were quite loud with their endless and aggressive sex. Why?”  
  
Both police officers looked to Nagisa.  
  
Nagisa put a hand over his neck, guessing it was a hickey. He offered a shy smile and tilted his head, “I just, need it rough.”  
  
“Oh yeah,” the second police officer nodded, “Me too.”  
  
The other police offer suddenly looked at him.  
  
The sexual tension was quite visible.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Nice acting,” Nagisa whispered as he closed the door behind him.  
  
“Thanks,” Makoto pulled out his cellphone. The conversation ended there. He flipped his phone open and dialled a number quickly. He put it to his ear and heard it ring.  
  
 _“Hello?”_  
  
“Hey Ran, it’s me,” Makoto smiled softly. “I need to talk to Mom, okay?”  
  
 _“Onii-chan! I’ll get her right now!”_   
  
_“Makoto?”_  
  
“H-hey, mom,” he frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
  
 _“Hi sweetie!”_  
  
“H-hi…”  
  
 _“Is everything okay? You… you don’t sound good.”_  
  
“Um, a police officer just stopped by… they said, well, I think they said, Uncle Yamato is dead.”  
  
 _“I’m… I’m sorry, what was that, dear?”_  
  
“Uncle is, dead.”  
  
 _“You two! Quiet! Shut up for a second!”_ she shouted at the kids, _“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, the little ones kept talking… What did you say?”_  
  
Makoto flinched; he had never heard his mother scream before. “The police came by… they said that someone shot Uncle Yamato… and they think I’m a suspect.”  
  
 _“Oh…”_ A long pause. _“Oh… Oh my…. Did, did you say they think you’re a suspect? Oh, you poor boy… you couldn’t hurt a fly if you wanted to.”_  
  
Makoto listened to her begin babbling and he swallowed hard. “Anyway,” he interrupted, “Just tell dad too, okay? I’m staying at Nagisa’s, I’ll text you his number. If you need anything, let me know.”  
  
 _“Okay, Makoto-dear… I’ll see you soon, okay?”_  
  
“Okay.” He moved his phone away from his ear and hit the button to hang up. He was slightly stunned when he saw the background image of his phone: It was taken at the festival, when Nagisa was in his green kimono. Nagisa was hugging him from behind while his little siblings were in his lap. It was the most adorable picture he’d ever seen…   
  
Nagisa looked up at him and tilted his head, “How did she take it?”  
  
Makoto didn’t answer.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
An hour passed, neither of them spoke.   
  
Makoto took a seat on Nagisa’s bed. He shoved his face into his hands and sighed. He was still for an unknown amount of time, until he felt the weight of something next to him. He glanced over and saw Nagisa with his head down.   
  
Nagisa was fumbling his hands together and sighed. “Mako-chan…”  
  
Makoto closed his eyes and faced away.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“Are you?”  
  
Nagisa blinked, looking at the brunet. He swallowed hard and nodded, “Yes… I’m sorry, Mako-chan. I didn’t… I didn’t want this to happen, I just…”  
  
Makoto sighed loudly, interrupting his boyfriend. “You…” He looked at the blond, staring into those dark pink eyes, “You make me so angry.”  
  
Nagisa paused for a moment, then looked away. “Sorry.”  
  
“So,” Makoto looked away as well, “What now? My uncle’s dead, police dropped by, Rei came as our alibi, I called my parents… what’s the next step in the plan?”  
  
“That’s it, mission complete.” Nagisa looked down, “Congrats.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“I… I was doing it for you.”  
  
“Nagisa.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
Makoto glared at him, “Shut the fuck up!”  
  
Nagisa blinked three, four, eight times and scooched away.  
  
Makoto groaned as he stood up, “You do this for me, you do that for me, but the second I tell you what I _really_ want, you don’t bother listening! Since day one, you have had so much power over me! You’re always completely above me, and you never listen to me!”  
  
“What do you want me to say, Makoto?” Nagisa frowned, “At day one you were just some swimmer boy with a girly name. Sure Haruka wants to marry you, but you were just a means to an end! No one expected this—Especially not me!”  
  
Makoto grabbed Nagisa’s shirt and yanked him up, “I didn’t either! But that’s not the point!”  
  
Nagisa’s feet no longer reached the ground and his only thought was that his shirt was going to stretch. Makoto was lucky he didn’t like this shirt anyway. “This isn’t exactly good for a relationship.”  
  
“And making me shoot you was?”  
  
“Of course not!” Nagisa grabbed Makoto’s wrists, “Just… do what you want with me, Makoto. I don’t care anymore.”  
  
Makoto was stunned for a second before he closed his eyes. He smashed Nagisa against a wall, extending his arms fully, and kept his head down. “I bet… I bet you could name three ways, right now, that you could kill me.”   
  
Nagisa winced from the pain, but ignored it. “What?”  
  
“Do it,” Makoto looked up, “Name three ways you could kill me, right now.”  
  
“I have more than three ways,” Nagisa frowned, “I could bash my hand upwards against your nose, sending the bone straight to your brain. I could break away and slit your throat, or I don’t even have to break away since I have a knife in my pocket… What’s your point?”  
  
“Don’t you get it?” Makoto sighed, “I’m powerless when it’s you. That’s what being with you means to me. If you wanted, I could die at any second. I couldn’t even fight back.”  
  
“Then why?” Nagisa frowned, “Why? Why are you still with me?”  
  
“Same reason you like Iwatobi, I think… Death is, kind of fun. Knowing you could die, knowing everyone around you could die any day… it makes you cherish everything so, so much more. It makes you appreciate everything that goes right for you. It makes you see that… even if dating you is the most problematic thing in my life… at the end of the day, it makes me happy.” His hands gripped Nagisa’s shirt even tighter. “I go to bed with a smile on my face, I think of you when I wake up. I love seeing you, spending time with you. I love kissing you, holding you, talking to you. I love you. In a way… you’re Death itself for me.”  
  
Nagisa blinked, looking away. “You… you used to be good at this boyfriend thing.”  
  
“I’m serious, Nagisa!” Makoto looked up, staring into those dark pink eyes. “I don’t know what I’m saying, but… when I’m facing this thought that I could die, that you could die, that Haru or the others could die… it makes me see the world for what it really is. I never knew what kind of life I had until I could see it through your eyes… I don’t have time for bullshit. I don’t have time for anything that doesn’t make me happy. Being faced with the thought that I could die, it puts all the stupid romance stories away, it puts all the garbage away, and I see things for what they really are. I see you for who you really are, Nagisa, and I love that person.”  
  
“Shut up!” Nagisa squeezed Makoto’s wrists, “You don’t know me! You don’t know what I’ve done! You don’t know my past! Stop acting like you see the _real_ me! You don’t!”  
  
Makoto just chuckled, looking down. “You can keep saying that if it helps… You hide behind it because you’re too fucking scared to realise that I do know the real you. You’re right, I don’t know your past, but if I wanted to I could find out. You’re too scared to realise that if I wanted to, I could find out everything.”  
  
“Wh-what?”  
  
“You’re scared.” Makoto looked up, “You’re scared, of me dying.” He waited for some kind of smart comeback, but nothing. “You’ve lost people… you’re hurt, scared. You don’t want to lose anyone anymore, right?”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes widened as he looked away, “Stop it.”  
  
“You hide your pain, you hide your fear. You hide everything. Kou told me, she told me she had to beat the shit out of you last time so you could admit you were afraid. I’m not going to do that—I’m not, I’m not strong enough to do that… So I’ll just say I know you. You laugh, you kill, you cry, you fear… you smile… But you hide everything that makes you human. You always do, as if being a little human is bad?”  
  
“Stop!”  
  
“No,” Makoto whispered, “I’m tired of you hiding! You’re always hiding your feelings, hiding who you are, and you hide it all behind sex, lies, and guns… You… you’re so fucked up!”  
  
Nagisa’s grip on Makoto’s wrists faded, but he didn’t let go.   
  
“I love you.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because I know you, I know who you are… I’ve gotten to see the person you are when you’re not hiding yourself… And that person, you, the real you, I like who that person is. A lot.”  
  
“But, why?”  
  
Makoto frowned, “How can you ask that?”  
  
“Because I don’t know the answer!” Nagisa averting his eyes, “I mean, really, Mako-chan… what is there to love?”  
  
“You’re such an idiot.”  
  
“I know!” Nagisa shouted, eyes watering as he looked to Makoto, “That’s what I’m saying! I’m so stupid, so why?”  
  
“And that’s what _I’m_ saying, Nagisa…” Makoto smiled, “Because you’re such an idiot, because you’re so… smart. You know people inside out. You’re cute, and not just… not just the way you look, but the way you act, and react, and the way you do things, and the way you just… are. You’re gentle, but you’re brave, and silly, and the way you’re just so… broken.”  
  
“B-b…broken?”  
  
“The way you’re broken, and fragile, and human.”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes were wet and he was trying not to cry, “Mako-chan…”  
  
Makoto finally put Nagisa down, chuckling as Nagisa’s feet touched the ground.   
  
Nagisa stared right at Makoto, expecting to be punched in the face.  
  
But Makoto just leaned in and pushed their lips together for a short kiss. “I’m never leaving you.”  
  
“I don’t understand,” Nagisa admitted as he squished his eyes closed. “I don’t understand… why?”  
  
“Because I love you.”  
  
“Why?” He began shaking.  
  
“Because I do.”  
  
“Why?” He began crying.  
  
“Because… you make me happy.”  
  
“Why?”   
  
“Because you’re you.”  
  
Nagisa opened his eyes and looked up. Because he was Nagisa. His breath hitched in his throat and he messed up his hair out of confusion and rage and anger and the unexplainable warmth in his chest. “You… you promise, you promise you won’t ever leave me?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Never?”  
  
“Never ever.”  
  
“And if you… die?”  
  
“I wont.”  
  
“Ever?”  
  
“Well I will some day,” Makoto smiled, “I have to. But what I meant was, I know I’m dead-set on joining, but I’m not going to be doing missions for Iwatobi. I think… I think you need me, so I’m not going to put myself in danger. That would just make you worry.”  
  
“Oh…” Nagisa used his sleeve to dry his eyes, “Okay, I think… I think I feel better, knowing you won’t be in Iwatobi.”  
  
“I’ll still be in Iwatobi.”  
  
“But, you just said…”  
  
“I’ll find a way to be useful, I promise,” Makoto kissed Nagisa’s cheek, “I don’t know… maybe when I finish my medical degree, and maybe when I’m a doctor, I could help out that way. I’ll take care of you guys.”  
  
“Mamma-Mako-chan,” Nagisa whispered.  
  
“Yeah,” he smiled.  
  
“Makoto…” Nagisa looked up, “I love you. I love you, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I love you.”  
  
“It’s okay, I love you too.”  
  
“No,” Nagisa shook his head. “What I mean is… I’m sorry _that_ I love you.”  
  
“I’m not.” He grinned, “I never told you, huh? You’re pretty good at this boyfriend thing too, Nagi-chan. You sure you’ve never had one before?”  
  
Nagisa looked up in complete disbelief.  
  
“Just promise me, promise me one thing. If you ever have a problem, we sit and talk about it. I know that’s easier said than done, and you were right… if you had told me my uncle had no way out, I wouldn’t have believed you. So I’ll listen if you listen. Promise?”  
  
Nagisa nodded and spoke through sobs, “Promise.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
“You’re…” Nagisa paused for a moment, “You’re not mad?”  
  
“No,” Makoto looked away, “My uncle had to go. I know that now. I’m not mad about that. I am pissed that you tried to make me shoot you, and I’m also pissed you almost shot yourself… But, I stopped it from happening. I’m going to focus on that.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “I just… didn’t want to live in a world without you, and I convinced myself you’d hate me, and I thought it was what’s best for you. Mako-chan… how did I end up being so fucked up?”  
  
Makoto smiled softly, “It’s not your fault.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“You’re the big boss, Nagisa. Even if they love you and care about you, no ones going to call out your faults. They’re scared of how you’ll react, they’re scared for their own life.”  
  
“You aren’t?” Nagisa tilted his head, “Or, or you think it’s just worth the risk?”  
  
“I don’t have to be scared.”  
  
“Huh? What do you mean?”  
  
“You can’t shoot me,” Makoto chuckled, “I’ve realised that now. You couldn’t shoot me if you wanted to.”  
  
Nagisa’s eyes widened and he looked away, “You’re right… I couldn’t do it. I won’t ever be able to do it. It bothers me… I can shoot Rei or Kou, and I did shoot Haru, but not you… Why?”  
  
“Because, you can be weak around me. You don’t have to be the head of Iwatobi around me. You just have to be Nagisa… the cutest, smartest, most amazing and dangerous little shit ever. You can be human around me.”  
  
Nagisa instantly sobbed.   
  
“Nagi?”  
  
“S-sorry,” Nagisa looked away.  
  
“It’s okay.”  
  
He began rubbing his sleeves over his eyes.  
  
“When was the last time you let yourself cry?”  
  
“When I broke up with you.”  
  
“No,” Makoto sighed, “You were holding back then. When did you last let go? Really let yourself cry?”  
  
Nagisa moved forward, pressing his forehead against Makoto’s chest as he sobbed. “I was… I was thirteen. When my parents were alive. That was five years ago…”  
  
Makoto opened his mouth to say something, but paused. He wrapped his arms around Nagisa and hugged him tightly. “And you’ve been holding everything in since then.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “I had to… I had to be strong, for Kou… for Rin, for Iwatobi.”  
  
“You don’t have to be strong anymore,” Makoto whispered, “Let it out. Let it all out.”  
  
Nagisa broke like a floodgate. His knees gave out and he sobbed, not even realising Makoto was keeping him up. For once, he didn’t care. The flow of tears was endless and he hiccupped and sobbed and his eyes became puffy, and his nose began running, and he was lucky that Makoto offered him a tissue. He ended up in Makoto’s lap, sniffling into his boyfriend’s shirt. What he considered a pathetic, gushing, display eventually ended and he looked up at his boyfriend, needy eyes wanting words of encouragement.  
  
“Wow, you’re really ugly when you cry.”  
  
“M-Mako-chan!”  
  
“S-Sorry!” Makoto gasped when he realised what he said; he scratched the back of his head and chuckled, “I didn’t think before I spoke, it just kinda came out! I’m sorry!”  
  
Nagisa laughed, loud, and then wiped his eyes with his sleeves one more time. “I’m not worth saving… I’m tainted, and bad, and I can’t be loved… I’ve always felt like that, but,” he paused then looked up, “You, being with you… I feel like, I feel like I can have a future. I can have that dream.”  
  
Makoto blinked, then tilted his head, letting a soft smile form on his lips. “What’s your dream?”  
  
“Growing old.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
Nagisa chuckled and looked down, “It sounds so silly… but I’ve seen so many rookies die young, and my parents died at forty—I mean, not that forty is super young or anything, but I wanna get old, really old. I wanna get wrinkly, and pull pranks on other old people. It’s so stupid, but up until meeting you… I never thought it was possible. It’s a stupid dream.”  
  
“It’s an amazing dream,” Makoto laughed and kissed his boyfriend’s cheek. “You’d make a great trickster grandpa.”  
  
Nagisa was somewhere between sobbing, laughing, and crying, and he smiled. “I love you.”  
  
“I love you too.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Of course,” Makoto grinned, “Let’s get all old and wrinkly together, okay? We can pull pranks on the nurses, pretend to be dead and scare them.”  
  
Nagisa couldn’t help himself as he giggled and left a small kiss on Makoto’s cheek. “But, I also want to live a full life until then. Lots of dates, and I want to see the world, and I want to learn how to cook an omelet, and bungee jumping, and I wanna push you off the bungee jump board when you’re not ready so you get mad at me, and I want to take a long walk on the beach, at least once, and sex—lots of sex, while we still have our hips.”  
  
“Tons, tons of sex,” Makoto agreed and punctuated his sentence with a short kiss.  
  
Nagisa smiled and nodded, “We should, enjoy our youth and stuff, so we have lots of stories to talk about when we’re too old to piss by ourselves.”  
  
Makoto squeezed Nagisa and attacked him with kisses.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
The senior lounge was silent.   
  
Rei offered a glass of water.  
  
Haruka took it, silently. He hadn’t eaten since the mission, but he’d been drinking fluids and Rei managed to convince him to take a multivitamin, to counter the blood loss. The bullet was removed from his shoulder, Rei bandaged him up. Haruka didn’t chew on his lip or bite his nails, he never had, but the temptation was rising. He began gnawing on the inside of his cheek instead, and took a tiny sip of water.  
  
Rei took a seat next to Haruka. He tried to control his breathing and he could feel his pulse pounding in his temples.  
  
Across from Rei and Haru was Nitori and Rin.  
  
Rin’s right eye twitched for the third time that day and Nitori looked at him. Rin looked away, not wanting anyone to take noticed. He grimaced and crossed his arms slowly.  
  
Nitori looked down.  
  
Kou was sitting on another couch. She crossed her legs, smoothed her skirt, and swallowed hard.  
  
“I failed,” Haruka said at last, breaking the silence. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“You did what you could,” Rei corrected. “I’m proud of you for that.”  
  
“I’m pathetic,” Haruka shook his head, “I froze. Seeing Nagisa aim his gun at Makoto… seeing Makoto aim his gun at Nagisa…”  
  
“I would have frozen too,” Nitori admitted.  
  
Kou nodded, “Yeah, me three.”  
  
“Hey,” Rin spoke up and smiled, “I don’t know what I would have done… but I probably would have made it worse.”  
  
Haruka looked up, then shook his head. “I--”  
  
The door opened.  
  
Everyone turned.  
  
Nagisa stepped in slowly and offered a smile, “Hi.”  
  
Makoto stepped in after him.  
  
There was a pause before Kou stood up, “That’s it?”  
  
Rin blinked, “You cleared everything up?”  
  
“Already?” Rei asked in disbelief.  
  
Nagisa paused and looked at Makoto. They both laughed and Nagisa nodded. “Yeah… Problems are easier to solve if someone gets me to sit down and shut up.”  
  
Nitori gave a sigh of relief, “I’m glad no one had to beat you up this time… Then again, I could have gotten another milkshake.”  
  
Rin smacked the back of his head.  
  
“Ow!”  
  
“Shut up,” Rin slipped an arm around his boyfriend and kissed it better. “I’ll buy you a milkshake anyway.”  
  
Haruka stood up slowly, and the room went quiet. “You…” He stared at Nagisa, “You scared the hell out of me.”  
  
Nagisa paused, then looked down. “I know… I’m sorry.”  
  
Haruka looked at Makoto then moved forward.  
  
Makoto understood and slipped his arms around Haruka, hugging him tight. “Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.” As he looked over Haruka’s shoulder, he saw Rei giving him a smile.   
  
“Makoto,” Rei grinned.  
  
“Thank you,” Makoto spoke over Haru’s shoulder.  
  
Haruka was a little confused at first, but understood what was going on.  
  
“I was…” Makoto continued, “I was thinking about what you said, during the mission.”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses, “You’re the one that acted. I should thank you.”  
  
Nagisa looked between them, “Huh?”  
  
Haruka managed to pull himself away from Makoto for a moment before kissing his cheek. He went back to his seat next to Rei.  
  
Rei placed a hand on Haruka’s knee.  
  
They looked at each other for a moment, and Haruka gave a nod.   
  
“Yo,” Rin spoke up, “Makoto. You did good.”  
  
Makoto chuckled and nervously scratched the back of his head.  
  
Kou smiled, looking at Makoto and Nagisa. “Looks like we can relax now, finally.”  
  
“Finally,” Rin repeated.  
  
“Finally,” Haruka agreed.  
  
“Yeah,” Makoto smiled.  
  
“What are you guys talking about?” Nagisa gave a playful chuckle as everyone looked at him. “Mako-chan, you’re forgetting we have a very important mission coming up!”  
  
“What?” Makoto blinked, “Since when?”  
  
Nagisa looked at Makoto, then to Haruka, then to the rest of the group. “We still have a wedding to plan!”  
  
Haruka’s head perked up, “Watery matrimony.”  
  
Rin slapped his hand over his face, “Not this bullshit again!”


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are, the final chapter, the epilogue. Honestly, to everyone who has supported me... thank you. All the kudos, all the amazing comments, everything has just been tremendous in terms of support. Thank you, I mean it. This is my first big project that I have managed to finish. I've finished smaller ones around 4-6 chapters, but nothing this big. This is a huge accomplishment to me, and I'm serious when I say the support was key. I do apologise for taking so long to post this, but with the Christmas season my life has been quite busy, haha, but here it is. 
> 
> One funny note, though: I ended up doing a lot of research on wedding checklists, locations, rings, etc, etc, and my partner was behind me and I think he was curious (and worried) as to why I was making so many notes, LOL. Oh well. I'll tell him soon it was for a fanfic. 
> 
> For you Americans, 28 Celsius is about 82 Fahrenheit.
> 
> But, if you take one thing this far-too-long author's comment, please enjoy the epilogue. You've earned it. I mean it, you've read this much of my fic, so you earned this, thank you.

It was in the senior lounge, seven of the eight members of Iwatobi had gathered. Haruka was sitting next to Makoto, who had Nagisa on his lap. Across from them was Rei, sitting next to Kou. On the adjacent couch were Rin and Nitori, with Rin having his arm around his boyfriend. There was a small pause as Haruka looked to Makoto, and then Makoto spoke.  
  
“So, we’ve decided to have our wedding in October. It’s going to be autumn here, but it’s going to be the end of winter where we’re going, since it’s in the southern hemisphere.”  
  
“Wait,” Nagisa tilted his head, “What?”  
  
“Bora Bora,” Haruka nodded sagely, as if that answered everything.  
  
There was a small silence before Rei took over, “Bora Bora is one of the French islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s near the equator and only has two seasons, summer and winter. In October, it’ll be the middle of autumn here in Japan, but it will be the tail end of winter in Bora Bora. Given, due to its geographical position, the temperatures are nearly twenty-eight degrees Celsius all year round. In their late summer there is quite a bit of humidity, so we will be going during our winter. The hotel we’ve found, five stars and several honorary mentions, will have a comfortable amount of guests. It gets crowded in the summertime.”  
  
“So…” Nitori blinked, “We’re going to the beach?”  
  
“Yes,” Rin frowned, “I thought you figured that out by now.”  
  
“Well, I know, but,” Nitori grinned, “I’ve never been to the beach!”  
  
Haruka closed his eyes and shook his head, “It’s okay. You will now.” He shifted a bit in his seat, “Makoto and I are not going to get legally married, though.”  
  
Makoto nodded, “Yeah, it’s legal for two guys to get married in France, but since Japan doesn’t legally recognise it yet, we’ve decided we’re going to wait until it’s legal here to sign papers.”  
  
Haru nodded, “It’s good enough for us. We have each other, and the ocean, signatures can wait.”  
  
Rin chuckled, “Fair enough.”  
  
“Rei,” Haru spoke slowly, “You were great with helping us find the location and the hotel and everything… Makoto and I were wondering, could you be our wedding planner?”  
  
Rei blinked, “What?”  
  
Makoto nodded, “I think we’d feel a lot better about the whole thing if we had your help. I mean, I understand if you’re busy, so that’s fine, but if you’re willing…”  
  
Rei adjusted his glasses and rubbed his throat. “I see… Very well, I shall do my utmost to make this a beautiful wedding!”  
  
“Oh!” Nagisa perked up, “Can I be the assistant-wedding planner? He’s not going to be able to do everything alone, and plus he’s gonna be so stressed I can’t have Haru being the only one jacking him off. I’ll be the assistant-wedding planner _and_ the maid of honour! Wait, who’s going to be the best man?”  
  
Everyone looked at Makoto, and he scratched his head. “Well, Haru and I were thinking if you could do that too, Rei. I mean, if Nagisa,” he smiled and kissed his boyfriend’s cheek, “Is going to be the maid of honour, it makes sense that you’d be the best man, right?”  
  
“I would be,” Rei closed his eyes, “Honoured!”  
  
“Sheesh,” Rin rolled his eyes, “Am I the only one who realises how fucked up this is?”  
  
Nitori nudged him with his elbow.  
  
Rei pulled out his phone and began typing, “Who will walk you down the aisle, Haru?”  
  
Haruka looked over to Nitori, “Could you?”  
  
Nitori blinked, “M-me? But, you’re my senpai… I’ve never been to a wedding… And, um, wouldn’t Rin be better?”  
  
“Well, maybe,” Haruka admitted, “But… I want someone who can calm my nerves.”  
  
Rin rolled his eyes, “Well, Haru’s got a point… If he started getting anxious or nervous or whatever, I’d just fucking throw him in the ocean.”  
  
Rei began taking notes of everything. “Since we’ll be on the beach, who shall be playing live music? Shall we hire a band?”  
  
“Hmmm,” Makoto thought about it, noting the slight tension in Haruka’s shoulders. “I don’t think Haru wants anyone besides Iwatobi there, if we can help it. Maybe we can just play music off a speaker.”  
  
“Understandable,” Rei nodded and looked over to Kou. “But we’d still need someone to play as Haruka walks down the aisle. Kou, you play the violin, don’t you?”  
  
Kou blinked, but smiled. “Yeah, I’ll be happy to play.”  
  
“The other junior can play the piano, I’m sure you two could practice together, if that would be alright?”  
  
Kou nodded, “Sure.”  
  
Rei scratched his chin, “We’ll have to find someone to read the oaths, but I’m sure Nagisa and I will take care of the rest.”  
  
Rin grinned, “Good! I’m off the hook.”  
  
“No,” Haruka paused for a moment before looking up, “Rin… I want you to do something for me. You’re… the one that trained me, you’re important to me.”  
  
Rin just blinked.  
  
“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Rei was sitting at his desk and flipped through the binder he put together for the wedding plans. “So we’ve confirmed the budget and we have a general sense of the guest list. Airplane tickets and the hotel are all booked, so it should be fine. I’ve made note to reserve several restaurants for big dinners throughout our stay, but it would be best to do that at a time closer to the wedding, same with the photographer and florist. What else is there, for now?”  
  
Nagisa sat across him and smiled, “I talked to the hotel, they’re more than happy to cater.”  
  
“You spoke to them about the special order?”  
  
“Tons of mackerel,” Nagisa laughed, “All fresh, we’ll get it. For a small fee, the hotel’s willing to give us all the necessities, chairs, stands, all the stuff to set up the wedding thingy. Besides that, Haru’s found his wedding dress. He likes, but I still need to find mine. I’ll make sure everyone else gets fitted in a suit, or dress or whatever, but the maid of honour needs a nice dress. What else is there?”  
  
“The cake,” Rei said simply.  
  
“Oh, right, the hotel says they know a baking company that usually does the wedding stuff. I have to give them a call,” Nagisa nodded and pulled out his phone, typing it into his reminders. “Oh, we also need people for hair and makeup, don’t we?”  
  
“Makeup?” Rei raised an eyebrow, “Who will be wearing makeup?”  
  
“Well not like full-on makeup, but you know, some of that like foundation stuff? Maybe Haru will get a red spot on his face, or something. I don’t know.”  
  
“Fair enough.”  
  
“And then we need the rings,” Nagisa remembered, “But we’ll probably get those later. Knowing Haru and Makoto, it’ll probably just be a metal band or something, nothing exciting. That’s all, though, right?”  
  
Rei looked over his list and nodded, “Right.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
The notes flew by the two as Kou adjusted her shoulder; the bow of her violin graced along the strings. The instrument itself was made of rich wood, thicker than most, and gave the melody a deeper tune, which paired it perfectly with the fluid and soft keys of the piano. Kou opened her eyes as the song ended and a smile formed on her face. “Wow, that sounded really good!”  
  
“Yeah,” the junior playing the piano looked up and smiled, “I’m sure they won’t be disappointed in us if we keep practicing!”  
  
Kou nodded, “Oh yeah. How long have you played the piano? You didn’t strike me as the piano type.”  
  
He chuckled, “Yeah, I know. I started when I was a kid, mom played so she taught me, what about you? How long have you played the violin-thing?”  
  
“Oh, not that long,” Kou admitted, “I picked it up about… three years ago? I don’t know, I just always fell in love with violins, so one day Nagisa just yelled at me to pick one up.”  
  
The junior laughed and stood up slowly. At his full height, he easily towered over her, but it was obvious he was also a little afraid of her. Kou _did_ have a reputation equal to Rin, after all.   
  
She put her violin back in her case and looked up, “I’m sorry… I don’t think I caught your name.”  
  
“Sei,” he grinned as he ran his hand through red hair, “Short for Seijuro, Seijuro Mikoshiba.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~   
  
  
“Why are lady clothes so difficult?”  
  
Makoto chuckled, arm around Haruka’s waist as the two of them sat on a bench across from the change room. “Nagisa, if you want to wear a suit instead, you can.”  
  
Haruka nodded; of course, Nagisa couldn’t see the nod but Haru didn’t think of that.  
  
“No, no,” Nagisa called out from the change room, “I look good! Just… this fucking, zipper! There!”   
  
The door unlocked and soon it was pushed open.  
  
Nagisa was wearing dark pink women’s shoes, same colour as his eyes, heels, with a thick heel because he’d trip on a thin one. He was wearing a dark purple skirt that was tight around his waist, showing the curves of his sides, but became playfully loose around his legs, so he could move it when he spinned (his one requirement, because that was fun) and it fell just below his knees. It was short enough for the hot weather, but modest enough that all eyes would still be on Haruka. It had thin straps that moved almost invisibly over Nagisa’s shoulders and criss-crossed over his back, which was semi-exposed. “So, what do you two think?”  
  
Makoto had never really seen the appeal in cross-dressing, but he swallowed hard and found himself somewhat unable to speak. His cheeks reddened and he prayed he wouldn’t get a boner in the middle of the store.  
  
Haruka stayed silent.  
  
“Well?” Nagisa did a little twirl, slowly because he was still getting used to heels.  
  
Makoto forced himself to look over to Haru and he swallowed hard again. “Um, I hope you don’t mind if I end up looking… at the wedding.”  
  
“N-no,” Haruka nodded, “It’s fine… I’ll probably… be looking too.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
But even with all the wedding preparations, business was still as usual. Makoto ended up weaving a needle and thread through Rin’s arm, stitching up the slash on Rin’s forearm carefully. He was a little icked by the blood, but it wasn’t too bad after he cleaned up the wound. He heard Rin mutter thanks, or something along those lines and he smiled. “So, what happened?”  
  
“He shanked me.”  
  
Makoto blinked, “Shanked?”  
  
“Yeah, like he used a shank…” Rin paused and rolled his eyes, “He used a knife on me. He was going to stab my arm but I moved back; he managed to slice it open instead.”  
  
“Well,” Makoto kept up a smile, “You’re lucky you moved away. The cut is pretty bad, it’s long, might take a while to heal, but it isn’t deep. It won’t really be a problem, I don’t think. You’ll be back doing jobs and missions after, but for a while you’ll need to let it heal.”  
  
Rin pursed his lips, “But I’m pretty much the only one doing missions for Iwatobi now.”  
  
Makoto chuckled, “But if it doesn’t heal, you can’t please your boyfriend.”  
  
Rin paused, then nodded. “You’re making a good argument, so… fine.” He chuckled and looked down at his arm, “Hey… um, Makoto. Thanks. I mean, for um… coming along and all.”  
  
“You’re welcome, I like you guys.” He cut the thread and pulled the needle away, “Done.”  
  
“Already? Seriously?” Rin blinked and offered a small smile, “We like you too… You’re also better at stitching up wounds than Rei is, doesn’t hurt as much.”  
  
“Thanks,” Makoto grinned, “I just want to help you all out.”  
  
“You’ll be great, I know it,” Rin nodded, “So um… study hard and shit, okay? I know you’re getting ready for this wedding bullshit and all, but having a doctor with us is really going to save our asses… We lost some people that I knew we could save. Then there’s times we need to take someone to the hospital, but you know how it is… a gunshot wound means questions. Nagisa always wants to take them to the hospital, he never likes losing people, but… Most of the time the operatives choose to try and heal on their own then endanger everyone else, you know? Anyway, fuck I went off topic. Study hard, okay?”  
  
“I plan to,” Makoto nodded slowly, “Haruka and Nagisa are both happier about it, and I think I am too.”  
  
“More than just them, Nitori, Rei, Kou, so… thanks.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” Makoto grinned and examined the wound. “But, you’re not going to like what I have to say… Since that’s your dominant hand, and it’s a really long slash, I really don’t recommend doing anything extreme with it… like you know…”  
  
“Are you telling me not to jack off too fiercely?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
Rin paused.  
  
Makoto paused as well and the silence became awkward, “Well, you have a boyfriend… and you know Nagisa and Haruka would be more than happy to go down on you if Nitori’s not available.”  
  
Rin chuckled, “Well, I can’t blame ‘em…. What about you? Would you go down on me?”  
  
Makoto’s cheeks went bright red and he looked away, “I, uh, think… everyone would go down on everyone.”  
  
Rin just chuckled.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“The wedding is coming up quickly,” Rei swallowed hard as he went through his notes. Once again, he was at his desk, sitting across Nagisa. “So everyone has their dresses and suits, I’ve booked the florist and the restaurants for the week we’re going to be there. We need the wedding bands, which I suppose we can get next week. I asked you to take care of a couple things, hopefully everything went smooth, Nagisa?”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “Mostly. I got the florists all set up, made sure nothing would bother Nitori, ‘cause of his allergies. They’ll be all set up and I talked to the hotel about it, they’re all for taking care of the flowers and helping us set up. Again, they’re doing it for a small fee, but hey we’re not even half-way to our budget. I didn’t think a wedding would be so cheap.”  
  
“Well, for one, we’re rich,” Rei reminded, “That’s the benefit of being in the crime world. Secondly, we’re only a group of eight. The price of a wedding goes up exponentially for every guest you invite. If we invited a much larger group, like most weddings, we’d probably end up having to cut back.”  
  
“Ohhh, I see,” Nagisa nodded, “Makes sense.”  
  
“So, what else is there?” He ran his fingers down his list and frowned, “Oh, a photographer. Hmm…”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Well, you know how Haru is… He probably would prefer if it’s someone we know. Not that he would be upset if it’s someone else, but he’s introverted and,”  
  
“I get it,” Nagisa chuckled. “Hmmm… I know someone who is a photographer!”  
  
Rei looked up and then it clicked, “Oh. That could work.”  
  
  
~ ~ ~   
  
  
“Goooorroooooo-chaaaan!”  
  
Goro Sasabe looked up from the card game they were playing and blinked. They were in the kitchen, four members of the Yakuza, and suddenly the voice of his nephew was in his house? “Nagisa?”  
  
“Uncle Goro-chan!” Nagisa popped in the kitchen and then blinked as he looked over, “Oh, you have guests.” He blinked, recognising a couple of them. _Great timing, you fucking idiot,_ Nagisa mentally whispered to himself. He gave a little wave to someone he recognised and then turned back to his uncle. “Hi! I broke in! You should get a better lock.”  
  
“I’ll do that,” Goro nodded slowly, “How can I help you?”  
  
“Oh, well, I didn’t mean to intrude or anything, buuuuut! I wanted to ask you something!”  
  
The man sitting at the waved back, “I keep forgetting Nagisa’s your little nephew.”  
  
“Nagisa?” one of the very confused ladies sitting at the table asked.  
  
“Nagisa Hazuki, from Iwatobi,” Goro explained, “I’m his uncle. Anyway… what can I do for you?”  
  
“Oh, I want a favour! You think you’ll be free in the first week of October?”  
  
“Um,” Goro scratched his head, “Possibly, why?”  
  
“Well, you used to be a photographer, right? We need someone to take pictures of the wedding!”  
  
“Wedding? What wedding?” He tilted his head, “You’re getting married?”  
  
“No, no!” Nagisa laughed, “My boyfriend’s getting married!”  
  
“Your boyfriend is getting married… to who?”  
  
“To whom! Oh, some other slut in Iwatobi,” Nagisa waved his hand to dismiss the topic, “Anyway, we need a photographer and I thought about you.”  
  
The man who recognised Nagisa earlier began laughing, “Oh God, your nephew’s priceless.”  
  
“Um, well,” Goro thought about it, “Where is the wedding?”  
  
“Bora Bora!” Nagisa said in an excited tone, as if he was on an infomercial, “It’s one of the French Islands or something, nice hot beach. We’ll pay for your room and everything, it’ll be a week of awesomeness, nice food, and oh the beds are _made_ to have sex on! I saw the pictures! Five star hotel!”   
  
The lady at the table smiled, “Your summer plans with Miho got messed up, maybe you two could go there instead.”  
  
Goro blinked and then grinned, “Could I bring my girlfriend?”  
  
“Oh my God!” Nagisa gasped, “You and Miss Ama-chan!? Get out! Of course you can bring her along! I haven’t seen her in so long—Oh, you think she’d be okay for reading the thing the priest says? Or orator, or whoever it is? She just has to read a script. There’s also going to be a lot of seafood, mostly mackerel, so tell me about any allergies, or flower allergies, or anything.”  
  
Goro chuckled and looked back to his friends, “Well this is my nephew everyone. See the resemblance?”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
A middle-aged man in a tailored suit smiled at them. The group in front of him looked quite out of place. They were all young men, late teens and early twenties, in ordinary clothes. They did not quite match the decor of his fine jewelry shop, but his eyes hovered over the blond with dark pink eyes. He knew that one had money, so he kept his smile. “Please, take your time.”  
  
“Thank you,” Makoto nodded. They had spent twenty minutes before he eventually turned to Haruka, “Do you see anything you like?”  
  
Haruka looked at Makoto and offered a small smile, “I have no idea.”  
  
Makoto laughed and looked down at the display case. “I know what you mean… Hey, Nagi, Rei, either of you have any suggestions?”  
  
Nagisa just shrugged…   
  
… but Rei almost crashed into the display case and cleared his throat. “I do!”  
  
Haru just blinked.  
  
“I highly suggest the two of you make the decision on the base metal of the band – gold, silver, titanium, palladium, platinum, and etcetera.”  
  
Makoto looked at Haruka, then to Rei, “Um… what’s the difference?”  
  
“Well…” Rei paused before thinking, “Everything.”  
  
Nagisa looked at the display glass and then hummed. “Okay, so, what would you suggest?”  
  
“That depends on what they would like. Most wedding rings are rather plain, usually just a band, mostly to contrast with the engagement ring which usually has a diamond.”  
  
“Plain is fine,” Haruka nodded, then looked to Makoto for confirmation.  
  
“Yeah, I’m not really into weary stuff that’s flashy,” Makoto smiled. “Something plain. And nothing heavy.”  
  
Rei turned to the display case, “Well they don’t have any palladium, and I’m not surprised by that. Silver should be well out of the equation, as it tarnishes far too easily, especially since we get our hands dirty in our line of work. If you’re avoiding heavy… I’ll suggest gold as the base, which is also rather traditional. You can have it in gold-gold, white gold, or rose gold which is a red type of gold. They are other colours you can achieve by alloying it with different metals, but those would require a custom order.”  
  
Haruka turned to him, “Do they have… blue gold?”  
  
“It’s possible,” Rei nodded, “But it’s rare.”  
  
“Oh,” Haruka looked away.  
  
Makoto glanced over to Haru then over to Rei. “What if we want the ring to have some kind of blue on it? Maybe an engraving… can that be done?”  
  
“Yes,” Rei smiled and took a step to the side, pointing to some rings. “Gold is coloured by mixing it with other metals during the heating process, but titanium can be coloured through oxidation.”  
  
“Rei-chan,” Nagisa looked at him, “Less science, more simple.”  
  
“Ah, well, most titanium rings are ninety-nine percent titanium, some are even more. Because of its reaction to oxygen it can become an assortment of colours, which makes it quite popular for those who want a coloured ring. Titanium is usually a silver-grey, but I’m sure we could add some blue.”  
  
“That one,” Haruka pointed at the glass, wondering why he didn’t see it before.  
  
It was a ring, titanium in base, but silver in colour. Along the exterior was a very thin, bright teal, wave-like pattern. The inside of the ring looked smooth, far smoother than the others.  
  
Haruka’s heart fluttered—then sank as he saw the price tag: Sixty thousand yen, which was about six hundred dollars.  
  
“Ah,” the man in a suit walked over, “You’ve got quite an eye. This is our extra comfort-fit, Celtic titanium ring, with a soft satin finish to bring out both shine in the ring and the anodized colour you see. We have this available in green, blue, the teal you see here, red, purple, and black. We also have it available without the colour, which is a bit cheaper.”   
  
“Maybe,” Haruka’s eyes couldn’t look away from the ring, “We should get it without colour, then.”  
  
“Huh?” Makoto blinked, “But blue’s your favourite colour, and green is mine… Green and blue make teal, it’s perfect.”  
  
“Actually,” Rei spoke up, “Blue and green make cyan.”  
  
“Rei,” Nagisa’s eyes narrowed, “Not the time.”  
  
“Ah, sorry.”  
  
“It’s expensive,” Haruka looked away from the ring and turned to Makoto. “Sixty thousand yen each, Makoto.”  
  
“Oh,” Makoto scratched the back of his head. He suddenly grinned, “Well, I have money in my bank account. I think it’s sort of worth it.”  
  
“Hmmm,” Nagisa leaned on the display glass, despite the sign not to do so, and he looked at the ring. “You know, hate to say it, but it really isn’t worth sixty-thousand. How much would it be for a marriage set?”  
  
The man chose not to comment on Nagisa’s disapproval of the price, and he looked at the ring. “I could attempt to manage selling it for a hundred thousand yen.”  
  
“Seriously?” Nagisa rolled his eyes, “You know… Honestly… I’d be willing to pay sixty thousand yen for both, and even then I’d feel like I’m being ripped off. Sixty five thousand sounds good to me.”  
  
“I could bring it down to ninety thousand.”  
  
“Seventy thousand,” Nagisa didn’t miss a beat.  
  
The man paused, “Eighty thousand, for both, final offer.”  
  
“Final, huh?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“You know what I think, Mister…” Nagisa leaned forward and read the name tag, “Sato-chan?”  
  
“Ch-chan?” The man was slightly taken aback, but he frowned, “What do you think?”  
  
“I think… if these two rings should have been a hundred and twenty thousand yen in total, and you’re bringing it down to eighty thousand… Well, it doesn’t take a genius to see you’re cutting away forty thousand cha-chingers, that makes me think these rings aren’t really selling well. They’re called titanium ‘Celtic’ rings? I don’t see any sort of Irish or Scottish influence… they’re just the wave symbol over and over, which is simple and nice. Simple being the keyword.” He suddenly reached in his pocket.  
  
Makoto’s eyes widened for a moment, when he wondered if Nagisa was going to pull out his gun.  
  
Haruka tensed as he thought the same thing.  
  
Nagisa, of course, just pulled out his wallet, oblivious to the tension to his side. “Fact is, you’re trying to sell a pretty nice ring for a lot more than it’s worth, and that’s fine if you wanna rip off some idiots… but you’re clearly not selling them, so…” He reached in his wallet and pulled out his credit card, offering it between his index and middle finger, “Sixty five thousand yen, for both.”   
  
The man paused for a moment before taking the card and heading towards the register.  
  
“Impressive,” Rei chuckled, “I’ve never seen anyone haggle that much.”  
  
Nagisa grinned and wiggled his butt a bit, “It’s ‘cause I love Mako-chan and this slut here.”  
  
Haruka just smiled softly before leaning in to kiss the blond’s cheek. “We’ll pay you back.”  
  
“Nope,” Nagisa shook his head, “Think of it as my wedding gift to you two.”  
  
“Nagisa…” Makoto blinked.  
  
“It’s okay, Mako-chan, you can make it up to me in blowies.”  
  
As the man walked over to the register he noticed two others that had walked in with Nagisa and his group. He didn’t know their names but as he was punching in the numbers, his eyes wandered over to one of them. “I’m sorry, Sir… but you look very familiar.”  
  
Rin nudged his boyfriend’s shoulder, “He’s talking to you.”  
  
Nitori looked up from the display case and blinked, “Huh? Me? I look familiar?”  
  
Rin’s lips pursed and he stayed quiet; if this man ended up knowing Nitori through his previous line of work…   
  
“Oh,” Nitori chuckled, “My, uh, my mom used to come here a lot. She looked like me, taller, hair up to here.”  
  
“Ah, yes,” the man smiled, “She hasn’t come in a while.”  
  
“Oh, she um, passed away,” Nitori shifted a little uncomfortably.  
  
“My condolences, a wonderful woman she was.”  
  
Nitori had to laugh, and he nervously scratched the back of his head, “Well, um… I remember she used to come here and yell at you all. She bitched you all out, so I don’t blame you if you hated her. But thanks, for trying.”  
  
“You’re welcome nonetheless,” he printed Nagisa’s receipt and looked over to the display glass Nitori was looking at, “Is there a pendant that caught your eye, Sir?”  
  
“Oh, no, I’m just browsing,” Nitori looked down, “One day though.”  
  
“Take your time,” the man nodded and headed over to Nagisa.  
  
Rin looked down at the display case, then to his boyfriend. “Which one were you looking at?”  
  
Nitori paused for a moment before pointing at a necklace, hoping Rin wouldn’t laugh at him.   
  
It had a thin chain, and the pendant itself was a simple silver rectangle with another smaller black rectangle on top of it, which made it look like the black was outlined in silver, though it had depth.   
  
“Nice,” Rin admitted with an appreciative nod, “Want it?”  
  
Nitori looked up, “Huh?”  
  
“I’ll buy it if you want it.”  
  
As if hearing the magic words, the man in a suit returned and smiled, “That’s rather kind of you.”  
  
Nitori’s cheeks warmed and he looked away, “Rin…”  
  
“What?” Rin looked back at the pendant and began the reading little text snippet next to it, “Oh, hey, you can get something engraved on it. Hey, don’t give me that look… We’ve been together for what, four months now? I’ve never really bought you a gift, so… You know.”  
  
“But,” Nitori’s toes wiggled in his shoes, “You always pay for dinner and stuff.”  
  
“Whatever, I get paid more. What do you want engraved on it?”  
  
“Well,” Nitori looked back at the necklace, “I don’t know if I want it. I mean, I like the pendant, but the chain is kind of boring.”  
  
The man smiled and spoke up, “All chains are interchangeable, you can get another one for the same price.”  
  
“Oh!” Nitori perked up and began examining all the other necklaces, “Can I get… that one?” He pointed at a silver chain that was just a bit thicker. “It’s… manlier.”  
  
“Manlier?” Rin chuckled, “You want to look manly?”  
  
“Well, if you’re gonna buy it for me… I kinda want to think about you when I wear it… so, yeah…”  
  
The man smiled, “And what would you like engraved on it? There is room for three symbols… but speaking from personal opinion, I think two look best.”  
  
“Two?”   
  
The man nodded, “You can choose your calligraphy later, but when you have three you’re rather limited as some of the more artistic ones will end up overlapping.”  
  
“Same and Zuka,” Nitori said quickly.  
  
Rin blinked, “Shark pattern?”  
  
Nitori nodded slowly, “I… want to think of you with it. Just, don’t ask, okay?”  
  
Rin just chuckled and shrugged.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
Nitori was wearing his new necklace when they entered the lobby; he was looking around at the tropical trees and looked up to the high ceiling of the five star hotel. He was grinning and looked around, “Wow, it’s like we’re in a whole other world!”  
  
Haruka chuckled silently and closed his eyes. The weather was nice and warm, but not too warm. He felt a slight breeze and it was cool against his skin. He nodded appreciatively, figuring he’d be fine in his wedding dress. He half-feared he’d end up sweating but he didn’t think it would be a problem now. “Nice weather.”  
  
Rei nodded as he adjusted his glasses, “As I expected.”  
  
Haruka just smiled and leaned in, kissing Rei lightly.  
  
Rin ran a hand through his hair and sighed, “What are the rooms like? I’m kinda tired, didn’t sleep much in the plane.”  
  
“Oh, we got six rooms,” Nagisa turned around to face the group, “Each one is for two. One is, of course, for the consummation of the marriage,” he giggled like a thirteen year old did when they heard the word ‘sex’, “But I got one with Mako-chan, Haru-chan’s with Rei-chan, Rin-chan’s with Ai-chan, Kou is with Sei-chan, and Goro-chan is with Miss Ama-chan.”  
  
“Wait a second,” Rin frowned and turned to Seijuro, “Kou’s sharing a room with a guy.”  
  
“I’m not a kid, onii-chan.”  
  
“Yeah, but, guys… you know.”  
  
Nagisa snorted, “He’s gonna try something!”  
  
Seijuro raised both hands to show he was no threat and forced a smile. “Your sis can snap my neck if I tried, dude.”  
  
Nitori nodded, “He’s got a point.”  
  
Rin just sighed, “Fine.” He distracted himself by looking over to Haruka, “Hey, no one’s told me what my job is for the wedding. It’s in a week.”  
  
Haruka nodded sagely, “I will tell you when the time is right.”  
  
Goro and Miho were standing a couple steps back when Goro couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s a little dangerous, isn’t it?”  
  
Nagisa pouted, “We live for danger!”  
  
Rin grumbled something.   
  
Miho brought a hand over her mouth as she chuckled, “My… I can’t remember my last vacation, something tells me this’ll be a fun one.”  
  
Goro just chuckled and agreed.  
  
Rei suddenly looked around, “Rin, where did Aiichiro go?”  
  
Rin blinked, “Ai? Ai!”  
  
“Sorry!” Nitori moved around a pillar and gave a little wave as he joined the group again. “I’ve just never been outside the country, not even the prefecture! I’m so excited! We’re in another country!”  
  
Miho smiled, “You’re quite excited.”  
  
Haruka nodded, “This is the first time he’s actually left the town, actually.”  
  
“Wait, really?” Rin blinked and turned to his boyfriend.  
  
Nitori grinned and almost bounced away, “Yeah! I’ve never been on a trip before!”  
  
Kou patted him on the shoulder in a vain attempt to calm him down, “Well we’ll have lots of time to do everything and see it all, but for now let’s get our stuff to our rooms, figure out what we’ll do from there.”  
  
Nagisa nodded, “We have our first wedding rehearsal tonight… but we could probably do it without Nitori, since all you do is walk Haru down the aisle. I’m sure you and Rin can spend some time in the city instead.”  
  
Nitori latched onto Rin’s arm, “Can we?”  
  
Rin chuckled and leaned down, kissing his boyfriend for a short moment, “Sure.” He moved back then kissed the top of Nitori’s head.  
  
Makoto looked at Nagisa, and he couldn’t help but lean down and kiss the top of his head too.  
  
Nagisa blinked a bit, but then smiled wide.   
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“So, um,” Seijuro was still in his bathrobe as he heard her step out of the bathroom. They had just showered, individually, and now he was sitting on the bed. He watched Kou, in her own bathrobe, dry her hair with another smaller towel. He swallowed hard and looked away, “It’s just um, that uh… Well, there’s only one bed and all, so um… if you want, I can ask for a stretcher, or another room, or sleep on the floor… You know, whatever makes you most comfortable, obviously. That’s totally fine with me.”  
  
“Tonight?” Kou put the towel for her hair aside then stepped in front of him, “Well, we won’t be sleeping for a while, and we have the wedding rehearsal in a couple hours… so…” She undid the cloth belt and looked away as the bathrobe slipped off her skin, leaving her completely naked.  
  
Seijuro’s eyes went wide.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“Soooooo,” Nagisa slipped an arm around Kou’s neck and pulled her down a bit as they walked down the hall of the hotel’s main floor. “Hey, tell me the truth… you and Sei, you fucked, didn’t you?”  
  
Kou smiled wide and looked away, “Maybe…”  
  
“I knew it!” Nagisa grinned, “I could taste it!”  
  
“Taste…?”  
  
“Oh yeah, well not literally, but like, when you guys were playing music together… you were so in tune. If you two keep fucking, the wedding’s going to be great! Was it good?”  
  
Kou tried to hide her smile as she nodded, “Yeah, he’s a very… selfless lover, in a good way.”  
  
“Ahhh,” Nagisa chuckled, “So he gave you the big ‘O’, right?”  
  
“A couple times before he came, yeah…”  
  
“Wow!” Nagisa whistled, “How long have you two been together, then?”  
  
“Well, um,” Kou felt her cheeks warm a little, “That was our first time together.”  
  
“You mean, on his first try, he gave you more than one orgasm? Damn, keep that one around! Were they good ones?”  
  
“Really good ones,” Kou admitted with a bit of an embarrassed laugh, “He’s not the brightest, but he’s sweet, and he tries a lot, not just in sex but everything. He’s great at hand-to-hand combat, too. We would spar between practicing music together. It was annoying at first because he was raised on the mindset of ‘Can’t hit a girl’, but he realised he had to if he didn’t want me to break his neck… Anyway, I still win most of the time, but he’s still a challenge to fight… Sorry, I’m rambling.”  
  
Nagisa just grinned, “That’s my job as your bestie, to listen to you gush about your guy. No wonder you asked me to put you in the same room with him, with only one bed!”  
  
Kou chuckled, “Yeah, the sexual tension was visible, Nagi. Oh and…” She suddenly trailed off when she saw Rin and waved, “Onii-chan!”  
  
“Hey,” Rin noticed them and sighed, “Man, Nitori has too much energy to keep up with… At least not without a nap. I’m tired. How are you guys? What are you up to?”  
  
Nagisa just chuckled, “Sympathy sex.”  
  
Rin paused for a moment, then snorted. “Shut it, you little gay fuck. Oh, Haru said you can tell me what my job is for the wedding is now.”  
  
“Yep,” Nagisa giggled, “You’re going to be the–”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
“–The fucking flower girl,” Rin hissed dryly as he tossed some flower petals to the right and some to the left.  
  
The wedding was, of course, on the beach, beneath perfect blue skies and soft sunlight. To the side of the stage was Seijuro, dressed up in a suit, playing the piano while Kou, wearing a dark red dress that was only one shade darker than her hair, was playing on her violin. The soft notes of the piano mixed with the deep strides of the violin, only dampened by the far sound of waves washing along the shore. Together, they played a smooth rendition of ‘Here Comes the Bride’.  
  
Standing at the center of the stage, which was a small raised platform, was Miho, who was ready to read off her pedestal. To her side was Makoto, fitted in a perfect suit that hugged his sides nicely and showed his broad shoulders. He had a blue tie, for Haruka, and he was biting his lip out of both excitement and nervousness.   
  
To the side of Makoto was Rei, also in a suit. He made sure to look his best, while still looking less desirable than the groom. For that reason, he was wearing a black tie, because by the psychological effect of colours, Haruka’s eyes would be drawn to Makoto. Across from him was Nagisa, who was in the dress he picked out before. He was grinning from ear to ear, only because he was getting front-row seats of nervous Makoto and he thought it was the most adorable thing in the world.   
  
There was no one in the audience, except Goro who was moving with his expensive as fuck camera to take snapshots.  
  
Still, Rin had to toss the flower petals left and right, left and right. He was just happy he was allowed to do it in his suit. Haruka had the audacity to ask him to wear a dress, but for survival reasons Makoto said a suit was fine. He eyed the seats in the front row and realised only him and Nitori would be sitting. Everyone in front of him suddenly lit up and he knew Haruka had begun to walk down the aisle. He wanted to look over his shoulder, but actually feared tripping on the sandy beach.   
  
“Start with left,” Nitori whispered, “As practiced.”  
  
Haruka’s eyes widened and he froze, “Which one’s left?”  
  
“I’m on your left,” Nitori grinned.  
  
“Oh, okay,” Haruka nodded and then they walked forward.   
  
Nitori was wearing a suit as well, grey tie on Rei’s request (colour psychology again). He was smiling, watching over the other as they walked.  
  
Haruka was donning the white dress. It was a single layer dress, due to the heat. Sleeveless and strapless, it didn’t have much of a tail because of the sand either, but it was a wedding dress nonetheless. Behind the veil, Haruka wondered if he was going to cry, and he felt the tears well up. He took a deep breath and felt the soft feeling of sand beneath his feet, and he felt himself relax. The music, mixed with the sound of waves, relaxed him and he looked at Makoto. He felt his arms shake and he heard Nitori chuckle next to him. Nitori chuckled. It took him a moment to realise, of course, he was supposed to be having fun. A huge smile suddenly formed on his lips and he looked at his husband-to-be.  
  
Makoto could hardly breathe. His throat was tight and little tingles were running all over his body. His hands were shaking and he forced himself to breathe. Upon seeing Haruka’s smile, he couldn’t help but smile back.   
  
Slowly, Nitori guided Haruka to the stage and soon took his seat next to Rin.  
  
Haruka swallowed hard and looked right at Makoto.  
  
Makoto grinned from ear to ear and he gave a little nod.  
  
Haruka nodded in return.  
  
The music stopped, and Makoto leaned in, pushing the veil back.  
  
Miho cleared her throat. “Dearly Beloved: We have gathered here today, in the presence of the ocean and its company of mackerel, that Makoto Tachibana and Haruka Nanase may be united in watery matrimony. We are here to celebrate, and share, in the glorious act that we are about to perform – the act by which Water converts their love for one another into the holy and sacred agreement of marriage. This relationship is one of honour and sanctity, established by the ocean itself, for the welfare and happiness of these two. May it be in extreme thoughtfulness, and reverence, and in dependence upon the watery guidance, that you two have chosen to now enter in this wet relationship.”  
  
There was a slight pause as she flipped the page, then began again.  
  
“Mary Jane ‘Mae’ West, an American actress, singer, playwright and screenwriter of the twentieth century said that ‘Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution’.” Miho paused and looked at them both, “I think you two, and all your friends, are quite ready for a mental institution.”  
  
There were chuckles all around.  
  
She smiled, “Love, true love for the married, is patient, kind. There is no envy or pride or rudeness. It is not a self-seeking, self-pleasing concept. It is not something that is easily angered, but something that tries to understand. It is not something that wants to keep records of all the wrongs, but rather something that wants to forgive. Love is protection, trust, hopes, perseverance. Love is not perfect, either. In times it falters, falls and comes back, brings difficulty, but love… love enriches every part of life. Two lives, or more, sharing this love can bring more happiness than just one person alone.” Miho turned to Makoto, “Makoto Tachibana, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Haruka Nanase, believing that your bond has the strength to endure all things?”  
  
Makoto swallowed hard, smiling as he replied: “I am ready.”  
  
She nodded and turned to the bride, “Haruka Nanase, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Makoto Tachibana, believing that your bond has the strength to endure all things?”  
  
Haruka nodded slowly, “I am.”  
  
Miho turned back to the groom. “Makoto, do you take Haruka to be your wedded wife, to live together in the ocean’s ordinance in watery matrimony? Do you promise to love him, to honour and cherish him, in joy, in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to him in all things good?”  
  
Makoto couldn’t have fought his smile if he wanted to. “I do.”  
  
“Haruka, do you take Makoto to be your wedded husband, to live together in the ocean’s ordinance in watery matrimony? Do you promise to love him, to honour and cherish him, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to him in all things good?”  
  
“I do,” Haruka felt his eyes water.  
  
“Makoto,” Miho said slowly, “Repeat after me: I, Makoto, take thee Haruka to be my wedded wife.”  
  
“I, Makoto,” he grinned, “Take thee, Haruka, to be my… wedded wife.”  
  
“To have and to hold, from this day forward,”  
  
“To have and to hold, from this day forward.”  
  
“For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer. In sickness and in health.”  
  
“For better or for worse, for richer, or for poorer… In sickness, and in health.”  
  
“To love and cherish, in front of the ocean’s watery ordinance, I pledge thee my faith.”  
  
“To love and cherish,” he paused to chuckle, “In front of the ocean’s watery ordinance… I pledge thee my faith.”  
  
Miho turned to Haruka; they made eye contact and shared a nod. “Repeat after me: I, Haruka, take thee Makoto to be my wedded husband.”   
  
“I… H-Haruka,” he swallowed hard, “Take thee, Makoto, to be my wedded husband…”  
  
“To have and to hold, from this day forward,”  
  
“T-To have, and t-to hold, from this day forward.”  
  
“For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer. In sickness and in health.”  
  
“For better, for worse, for richer… for poorer… In sickness, and, in health…”  
  
“To love and cherish, in front of the ocean’s watery ordinance, I pledge thee my faith.”  
  
Haruka took a deep breath, “To love and cherish, in front of the ocean’s watery ordinance, I pledge thee my faith.”  
  
Miho continued, “Water in ocean, you have allowed this communion for your children, and you gave us the ability to love one another. We present to you Makoto Tachibana and Haruka Nanase, who come this day to be unified. May this gathering of love have your blessing of devotion and spiritual endurance. When selfishness shows itself, we ask that you, the ocean, water itself, grant them generosity; when mistrust and temptation manifest, give them moral strength; when there is a misunderstanding or argument, gift them patience and gentleness, and understanding. Should suffering become part of their lives, help their faith and love shine through. Mackerel.”  
  
“Mackerel,” everyone repeated.  
  
“We will now perform the exchanging of the rings, and the vows.”  
  
Rei slipped out a thin box from under his coat and offered it to her.  
  
Miho took the box and opened it, revealing the two silver rings made of titanium. Along the exteriors were a very thin, bright teal—the union of blue and green—wave-like pattern. They had a gentle shine as a finish, and the insides were smoothened. “It is custom to exchange rings, for rings have no end, and so too shall your love and union. It is time to exchange rings, with your vows.” She carefully removed the slightly smaller ring and offered it to Makoto. “Speak your vows.”  
  
Makoto nodded as he took the ring. He felt his cheeks warm, but he smiled. “Haru… You’ve always been someone I’ve felt relaxed around… which probably makes no sense, but that’s the truth. You’re honest, you’re warm, you’re a part of my life I couldn’t live without. Today, I give myself, my future, to you. Even with the uncertainties of the future, I can promise that you will always have me, and my devotion, and my most tender care. I promise to always strive to encourage you, inspire you, and make sure you eat as much mackerel as you want. I promise to laugh with you, and to comfort you. When life is easy, and when it isn’t. What I pledge to you today, is what I pledge for all the days of our life together.”  
  
Haruka’s eyes widened and he swallowed hard.   
  
Miho smiled and had to stop herself from making an ‘awww’ noise. “Haruka, will you accept this ring as a token for his vow, as a reminder and a physical presence of his vow?”  
  
Haruka wanted to speak but ended up just nodding three times. He lifted his hand, and it was shaking. He tried to still it but failed to.  
  
Makoto used his free hand to take Haruka’s hand, feeling the shaking stop beneath his fingers. He slipped the ring over the finger and looked up.  
  
“Haruka,” Miho took the other ring and offered it, “Speak your vows.”  
  
Haruka took the ring and turned to face his husband. “M-Makoto… They say… a man should never change you, but I don’t think that’s entirely true,” he looked down for a moment, “Ever since I met you, I changed… in a lot of ways. And I’m happy with who I’ve become. Courage to by myself was never something I lacked, but… I felt comfortable with you. When you promised to marry me, I felt… happy. I, you, you gave me the strength to be who I wanted to be. When you found love, I found the strength to find love. When you stood up for what you believed, I felt like I could stand up for what I believe. For everything you gave me, I vow to give to you. Courage, strength, honesty, trust, respect… support, love, loyalty. I vow to stay on the right path, and to make sure you do the same. I offer who I am, and who I want to be, and who I will be, forever and more. I offer this ring, as a symbol for my vow, and the strength we have together. I ask you to wear it… and know that I will always be there for you, always.”  
  
Makoto paused for a moment, letting it all sink in, before he raised a hand and grinned.  
  
Haruka swallowed hard and slipped the ring onto the finger.   
  
“What the ocean is joining together,” Miho smiled as she looked at Haru, then Makoto, “Let nothing tear it asunder. For Makoto and Haruka have consented in watery matrimony, and have witnessed the same before the ocean, and this company here, and have pledged their loyalty and vows to one another, and have declared the joining by the giving of rings, I therefore, by the wishes of the ocean, pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the ocean itself.” There was a small pause before she chuckled, “You may now kiss the bride.”  
  
Haruka instantly tensed.  
  
Makoto took a deep breath then leaned in.  
  
Haruka closed his blue eyes.  
  
Makoto pressed their lips together. There was a tingle that travelled from his lips to his toes and he curled them in his shoes.   
  
Haruka could hear cheering and clapping, but it was all washed away by the feeling of Makoto’s lips melting on his. His shoulders slowly relaxed and the rest of his body followed suit. He felt Makoto’s arms around his waist and he grinned into the kiss, leaning on him and taking in the scent of his husband, and the saltiness in the air from the water nearby.   
  
Makoto couldn’t help but smile before pulling away. “We’re married.”  
  
Haruka opened his eyes and nodded, “Yeah… thank you.”  
  
“Thank you,” Makoto whispered.  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
After the wedding came the reception. It was a nice table by the beach, not too far away from their little makeshift wedding area. The plates were served, seven different types of mackerel and three vegetable dishes, more than enough food for the ten of them. Just before they began eating, Nagisa cleared his throat and tapped his spoon against his glass. “I want to say something!”  
  
Everyone paused.  
  
Nagisa cleared his throat and stood up, “Haru, oh Haru-chan, and my sweet Mako-chan. As your maid of honour, I want to give you a speech. May you two have amazing romance and amazing sex, and always, always, always, know that I am _always_ ready for a threesome. Haru, my sweet Haru, I remember when you were just a little water stripper, who wore a mermaid tail and gave me lots of kisses, all those years ago.” It hadn’t actually been years, but he didn’t care. “To think you ended up being such an amazing killer, and sniper, with a perfect record. I feel like a mother does when she realises how much her child has accomplished thanks to her, but also on how much the child has accomplished on their own. Although, I should remind you that if I was your mother then we’d be in one of those incest pornos, because you give awesome blowjobs and I don’t care if it’s illegal, I want you to suck me off.”  
  
“Thanks,” Haruka nodded.  
  
“Makoto,” Nagisa continued, “My sweet Makoto.”  
  
“Um,” Makoto blinked, “Yes?”  
  
“You’ve got the biggest dick here,” Nagisa emotionally took in a deep breath, “Trust me, I’ve checked. Seijuro, you come a close second, only a couple centimetre difference.”  
  
Seijuro blinked, “Uh… how do you know?”  
  
“I hand measured it myself. Don’t worry,” Nagisa smiled, “I have my ways.”  
  
“Oh-kay…”  
  
“But Makoto,” Nagisa turned to him, “With great power comes great responsibility, and with your great cock I expect you to please your great wife. I know you have what it takes. I am so, so proud of you.”  
  
Makoto paused, then forced a smile, “Thank you Nagisa.”  
  
“No,” Nagisa corrected, “Thank you.”  
  
“Anyway,” Rei cleared his throat, “I’d like to raise a toast.” He stood up and lifted his glass, “To the two who have been wed in watery matrimony. As most of you know, my relationship with Haruka would not have begun if Makoto wasn’t a swimmer, and if Haruka wasn’t dead-set on marrying Makoto in the middle of a life-and-death situation. Makoto, you are generous, kind, and selfless, and I know you have what it takes to be a great husband to Haru. And Haru… Ever since we brought you in to Iwatobi, I don’t think any of us have been able to understand or explain your motives for anything. The only thing we really know about you is your obsession with water, and your ability to bring us all together.”  
  
Haruka had to look away as a shy smile formed on his lips, cheeks warming slightly.  
  
“So,” Rei lifted his glass, “To our swimmers, may your bond be filled with water and mackerel!”  
  
They all cheered and Nagisa giggled, “Let’s eat!”  
  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
  
There was tons of fucking.  
  
After the wedding, Makoto and Haruka had slow, gentle sex, filled with love… then their round two was Haruka being thrown around the bed like a ragdoll as Makoto jackhammered into him; all the while, Haruka begged for it to be harder. In the next two weeks, Makoto and Haruka swam in the ocean daily together. Nagisa joined them every other day, saying ocean water was good for soft skin, and he managed to drag them into threesomes quite a bit, occasional foursomes with Rei who was a bit more modest than the others.   
  
Miho worked mostly on enjoying the sun and relaxing, having drinks on the beach with Goro.   
  
Rei and Haruka spent a lot of time together as well. Haruka could care less, but he accompanied Rei to all sorts of museums and tourist attractions, because he loved the way Rei’s eyes lit up. In turn, Rei was researching all the great seafood places to take Haruka.  
  
Seijuro and Kou kept fucking as well, but they went on dates too. Sweet ones with candlelight, and some where they were brutally sparing against each other in hand-to-hand. Rin eventually found out about it and chased Seijuro around the hotel with a knife. Nitori had to intervene. After Rin came to accept the fact that Sei and Kou were together, he sighed and ended up having a lot of comfort sex with Nitori. Nitori didn’t mind. Rin also took Nitori around town, letting him get the most of his first vacation. Kou and Nagisa helped with showing Nitori around, and the three sort of became the short squad.  
  
Makoto also had tons of time to spend with Nagisa. It usually ended in sex, but not always. Sometimes it was just a massage or a cuddle session, cute dates, everything that Nagisa or Makoto wanted happened.  
  
It was the last night of the vacation, the flight was in the morning.  
  
Makoto and Nagisa found themselves back-to-back, sitting on a grass field, looking up to the twinkling stars in the dark night sky above.  
  
“Makoto…”  
  
He looked over his shoulder, “Yeah?”  
  
“I…” Nagisa hugged his knees and smiled, “I think you made me a better person.”  
  
Makoto blinked, “Really?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Well,” Makoto chuckled and looked back to the stars, “I think you made me a bad person.”  
  
“Oops!”  
  
Makoto chuckled and couldn’t help but smile, “It’s okay though… I mean, good or bad, none of that really matters. I’m happy, I’m so, so happy… and I have you. Nagisa, I love you.”  
  
“I wuv you too, Mako-chan.” Nagisa smiled, but eventually sighed. “Are you sad it’s our last night here? We’ve all been having so much fun. I’m sad… are you?”  
  
“Sort of,” Makoto tilted his head, “But in a different way.”  
  
Nagisa turned around slowly, so his boyfriend knew he was moving and wouldn’t fall backwards. “What do you mean?”  
  
Makoto turned as well, facing the trickster blond. “That’s the thing about life… Nothing really ends, it goes on. I mean, look at this vacation. We came to the beach, had a wedding, had tons of laughs and a great time. Sure, the vacations over, but life will go on. I am a little sad we’re leaving, but… I’m more excited for the rest of my life. In this crazy thing you’ve pulled me into, I can’t help but wonder… what’s going to happen next?”  
  
Nagisa blinked and smiled, hugging his knees. “You’re pretty optimistic about the whole thing.”  
  
“Yeah,” he nodded, “For the first time in my life… I can’t wait for tomorrow. I can’t wait to wake up next to you again, working with everyone, going to classes, getting a degree, and finding out what I’m doing next. Life goes on, and I’m really excited… I want to go on with it, and it’s all thanks to you Nagisa.”  
  
Nagisa smiled softly and looked up to the stars. “Mako-chan…”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I can’t wait either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End~!


End file.
